Morning Glory
by NinjaSheik
Summary: With vengeance on her mind, Anko struggles in a search to hunt down the man who ruined her life, Orochimaru. A new feeling starts to bloom within her as she is now thrust in a dangerous tempest of the darkest desire and passions of the heart.
1. Reunion

_A flower that blossoms beautifully and strongly during the day…_

_A flower that wilts and dies during the night…_

_A flower that renews itself…_

_A flower that lives through an endless cycle…_

_One flower with many meanings mixed into it…_

_And with so many meanings…_

_A gorgeous and poisonous kunoichi experiences them…_

_For she is the very epitome of Morning Glory…_

ஜ ~ ஜ

The night was dark and peaceful, gray clouds shrouded the moon's unearthly luminous glow from showering its light upon the Village Hidden in the Leaves. No stars were visible in the black sky, not a trace of human life could be heard or seen within the quiet darkness. The citizens of the Leaf Village were snuggled in their warm beds, their head filled with sweet dreams. All but for one, that is.

In her small apartment bedroom, a beautiful, yet tormented, kunoichi twisted and turned under the covers of her twin-sized bed, her lithe form, young and taut with her youth, was coated with cold sweat from head to toe. Anko Mitarashi awoken with a violent jolt, her ragged and broken gasps trying to force down oxygen into her lungs. She couldn't breathe; it hurt too much to do so. Her chest felt incredibly tight, her gut clenching at the pain that was resonating throughout her body, originating from a single spot on the left side of her neck. It was the very thing that kept reminding her of the agony and sorrow she had to face every day for the rest of her life. It was an indelible brand, like a scar that was burned deep within her soul.

Heavens' Curse Mark.

Anko brought up her right hand to claw at the mark, her fingernails making rivulets of blood that seeped down her neck and onto and under her mesh bodysuit she wore all the time. There were days when the Curse Mark would pulsate, as it would react to her nightmares and thoughts, but it was never as bad as what she was feeling know. The pain was more excruciating this time, almost like if _he_ was actually near her.

Her spiky ponytail that held her violet hair together stuck to her forehead from the sweat, her bangs covering her tired pupil-less brown eyes. She grimaced at the waves of pain flowing through her each time the Curse Mark throbbed, her teeth biting down her bottom lip to prevent her from hollering out in pain.

Tears brimmed the corners of her eyes, but the snake kunoichi refused to let them fall down her heart-shaped face. Tears were a sign of weakness; a disgrace not only to the Shinobi Rules but also to herself, and that was why she couldn't bring herself to let it pour down her round cheeks. She would never allow anyone to see them—not even to herself. She was a strong and reliable kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf Village, who faced the world with a tough and confident aura without caving in to anyone or anything. She was not some small child who would break down over a nightmare.

And yet, here she was, weeping over the vivid nightmare that still haunted her every thought. It didn't matter whether she was awake or asleep, the memories of _his _twisted smirk, _his _demonic laughter, _his_ captivating, spellbound eyes flooded back into her mind, along with the fear that had cut through her life like a razor-sharp blade and penetrated her to the hilt.

She masked her anguish with a happy façade, all of her _true_, melancholy emotions pent up inside her. Moisture from around her eyes threatened to spill out from her again, but Anko held them back, not wanting all the barriers she'd built over the years crumble over as something as unwelcome memories.

"Stop it, _now_…" she chastised herself in a vehement whisper into the lucid darkness, her voice rasped and strained. "Get a grip, Anko…"

Her hands journeyed up to her scalp, her nails clutching her wet purple strands. The nightmare was still repeating over and over in her head, the fear she felt even in her dreamland was as real as anything she could feel in reality…and that frightened her to no end. She hated it; she hated _him _for causing her so much overwhelming sorrow and anger stirring within her. She wondered when there would ever be a day when he didn't invade her every thought, regret and desire.

Will there ever be a day when she could forget about him and stop living in her shattered past that she barely possessed any recollection of? She wished she could forget everything. Forget _him_. Forget that she had cared, worshipped, _loved_ and admired _him_ because in the end, all she got in returned was his betrayal. _He _abandoned _her_, when _he_ was the only thing she had left in the world. He cast her off when he deemed her useless, tossing her aside as if she was trash.

_He_ would pay—one day.

Then maybe _he_ will see just how 'useless' she was now. She would be there, a kunai in her fisted right hand, her eyes blazing with fire and bloodlust, and _he_ would be dead. It was her duty, her atonement, her vendetta. It was that sole reason that kept her alive to this very day. She had struggled onto what was like a thin spider thread of life, clinging desperately onto it as a way to stop herself from dieing at anyone else's hands.

Her tears began to stream down her face and splattered down onto her bed sheets, creating dark marks on them. Her knees curled up into her chest and she wrapped her arms around them, her now red and puffy face buried in them. The silence was broken when her muffled sobs and wails echoed in her bedroom, her hot tears stinging her cold skin.

She couldn't shake off the nightmare; it brought back so many unwanted memories racing through her mind that she could never forget. In the dream, she was there within the vast darkness, bloody and broken. _His_ golden eyes glowered down at her with a wicked smile plastered on _his_ pale lips. She cried and screamed out in pain and torment, her body felt like wildfire was coursing in her veins.

"Ugh…" The violet-haired woman cursed under her breath, the Curse Mark pulsating in conjunction with her hatred and misery. She wished she'd never met him at all if she'd knew the cost of their relationship would have culminated to. Anko sniffled back her tears, her eyes flickering over to the photos she kept on the long desk that reached from behind her bed. She gripped the photo of the memory that was most precious to her, the picture of her and her sensei, a young Anko and Orochimaru.

Leaning back down on her bed, the snake kunoichi pulled the covers over her slender body, pressing her treasured photo passionately to her chest, directly above her heart. She needed to rest for the next day. The Chūnin Exams were tomorrow, and she needed to be her usual cheerful self to avoid any unnecessary concern or worry from the few people she actually counted as her friends.

She shook off the horrid images of her nightmare and breathed out a deep sigh before succumbing into slumber, droplets of tears tickling down her cheeks. She tried not to think of her former mentor, but rather thinking of the excitement she would feel to see this year's Chūnin Exams candidates. She looked forward to see how many would actually pass _her_ test. She was, after all, the proctor for the second phase of the exams.

As she slept, she couldn't help but think what life would be like if she would to discard her tortured emotions from her scarred soul. How simple it would be for her to live if she'd forgotten Orochimaru, about their relationship, about the Curse Mark, about _everything_. How easy it would to throw away all of those uninvited memories that rushed through her head every day of her life into a bottomless sea, and just pretend that they never happened. She could be happy, maybe even normal.

However, whether the violet-haired woman knew or it or not, those emotions, her feelings and memories of the one she held—and will continue to hold—dear to her was better left in the depths of her wounded heart rather in the depths of the sea. The concept of just letting go of everything, erasing every single memory of _him _seemed better to her in her head, but in reality, it really wasn't. If she would to cast those feelings away, she would no longer be the person she was right now. She would only shatter into a million pieces from the inside of her tormented soul.

ஜ ~ ஜ

The first proctor for the Chūnin Exams, Ibiki Morino, stopped in the middle of his speech to the remaining Genin that was able to pass his test and swiveled his head towards the window, a flying giant brown clothed-ball heading to the classroom window. It smashed through the glass, broken pieces shattering across the tile floor of Room 301. His face held its usual stoic expression on his scarred face as the ball of cloth unraveled.

Two kunai shot out in opposite directions, embedding themselves in the ceiling in order to spread the sheet in front of the Genin in the room. A female with violet hair in a stylish ponytail wearing a khaki coat, a mesh bodysuit, a dark orange mini-skirt with one orange strap and one blue strap that connects to the appendage-like sash running horizontal across her stomach, shin guards, a snake-like pendent on a thick cord, and on her forehead was a Leaf Village headband—proof of her loyalty and status as a shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves—unveiled from inside the cloth.

"Is this part of the test?" she heard a blond boy, Naruto Uzumaki, shouted in shocked.

_Ahh… Jump the gun as usual…_ Ibiki mused, sighing inwardly as Anko stood up squarely in front of the class. Her banner fixed itself up, hanging up as proudly as the one who put it there with the words, 'Here comes the Second Test's Proctor: Anko Mitarashi.' in big, white words.

"Heads up, boys and girls, this is no time to be celebrating! I'll be your next proctor. Anko Mitarashi. You ready for the second test?" she exclaimed with loud enthusiasm, pumping a fist into the air as she bellowed, "Good! Then let's go, follow me!"

Everyone in the room was blurred, in a daze at her flamboyant entrance into the classroom, their eyes were wide and the silence was thick. Anko inwardly grinned, pleased with her energetic opening. She knew what most of the children were thinking about her from the confused and disbelief looks on their faces, but that didn't bother her in the least. Anko was proud with the way she presented herself; it was whom she was when not curled into a tight ball at night. She was vivacious and does things with a brisk intensity. It was whom she was, and no can take that away from her.

Stepping to the side of Anko's banner so only half of his face was shown, Ibiki stated in annoyed voice, "You're early…_again_."

Anko's face flushed bright pink in embarrassment at the sadist's comment. Her friend was always ruining her fun, but she shrugged it off shortly afterwards.

_Great, screaming nutcase. She reminds me of Naruto._ Sakura Haruno, one of Naruto's teammate, thought in annoyance. Gazing around the room with her brown eyes, Anko counted all the Genin left after the first phase of the exams.

"How many are there?" Anko inquired in surprise, amazed to see so many left after the first phase. She turned and looked at Ibiki with a slightly irritated expression, her pretty face scrunching up a little. "_Ibiki_, you let all these guys pass? Your test was too easy. You must be getting soft."

"Or it could be a stronger crop of candidates this year." he countered with a small smirk.

Anko scoffed, placing her hands over hips as she pivoted her head to look at the Genin with a smirk. "Hmm… They sure don't look it. Trust me, before I'm done with them, more than half will be eliminated."

"Huh? More than half, really?" Sakura inquired in surprised and slight fear.

"Hmph… This is gonna be fun." Anko's smirk widened in anticipation, savoring the scared looks that rose to the children's faces. A stern line replaced her smile as she switched into her more serious self. "All right, you maggots have had it easy so far, _but _things are gonna be different first thing in the morning. I'll let your squad leaders know where you're to meet me.' And with a little sass, she added, "_Dismissed_."

ஜ ~ ஜ

The next morning, bright and early, Anko stood at the entrance to the Forty-Fourth Battle Training Zone, her hands on her hips and a smirk stretched across her face. The wind blew breezily through her and all of the Genin in front of her, sending a thrill of shivers clawing up their spines.

The forest was dark and large with densely overgrown trees and enormous, man-eating creatures inhabited inside of it. All of the gates were locked with signs warning anyone of its dangers and at the side of the area was the scroll distributing shed, where three other proctors sat, observing the snake kunoichi and the candidates.

It was the perfect spot for the kiddies to undergo the second phase of the exam and move on to the third exam.

That is…if they survive it first.

"Whoa… Nice place. What is it?" Naruto inquired in a frightened tone.

"_This _is the location for the second phase of the exam. It's the Forty-Fourth Battle Training Zone…" she paused as the fear sank deeper into the kids, smiling. "But we call it the 'Forest of Death'."

The ominous name of the zone caused an uproar a group of fearful mutters and worried expressions among the Genin, each of them staring deeply into the vast forest.

"This whole place just completely creeps me out." Anko heard the scared pink-haired girl said.

Anko chuckled, smiling broadly. "It should, they called it the Forest of Death. And soon enough, you're gonna find out why."

The Nine-Tailed boy huffed in irritation at the snake kunoichi's attempts to scare him and everyone else. Sticking on his butt and his hands on her hips, Naruto spoke in a high-pitched, squeaky voice as he shook his butt stupidly while everyone stared, much to his teammates' embarrassment.

"_It should, they called it the Forest of Death. And soon enough, you're gonna find out why._" he mocked Anko before regaining his normal voice, pointing a confident finger at her. "Do your worst! You're not gonna scare me away! I can handle anything!"

Anko became irked when she noticed she was being made fun of, although she has to give the blond boy some credit. He has guts, if nothing else. But still, he was _mocking_ her, and she will not tolerate it. It seemed to Anko that someone needs a lesson in manners…and fear.

The snake kunoichi forced a pleasant and cheerful (fake) smile upon her pretty face, titling her head to the side slightly. After all, there was an old saying that said that a smile of the face hides the dagger on the tongue. "So, looks like we've got ourselves a tough guy."

Her expression turned less friendly, her eyebrow furrowed as a kunai slipped from under her coat sleeve in her right hand. She flung the knife at the blond boy, slicing the his left cheek, while clipping off a strand of Grass ninja's hair in the process before it landed in the ground behind 'her'.

Before anyone could blink, Anko teleported behind the Nine-Tailed boy in a flash, her voice low and dangerous, like a predator advancing towards its prey in a slow, graceful move.

"You tough enough to handle this? You're not afraid, are you?" she whispered into his ear, her right hand cradling his right cheek as she brought her left hand to see the flow of the blood dripping off from the cut she made and let it fall down her index finger…sweet, glossy blood. "Tough guys like you usually leave their blood all over this forest."

Suddenly, Anko sensed someone behind her, and she narrowed her eyes as she left the blond boy's cheek to pull out another kunai from under her sleeve. She held it over her shoulder, ready to thrust it at the person who had snuck up from behind her. However, she stopped when she saw a long, forked-tongue rolled over her shoulder, displaying the kunai she had thrown earlier. The serpent-tongue belonged to the Grass ninja with long black hair and wearing a straw hat, which 'she' held slightly upwards with her left hand, and was standing uncomfortably close behind the snake kunoichi.

"I was…just returning your knife." 'she' hissed in a low tone.

"Why, thank you, Grass ninja." Anko replied with an amiable smile, but she didn't lower her weapon. Her grin became feral that matched the Grass ninja's expression that was sent at her. This Grass ninja had something strange about her, something mysterious and dark. In her eyes, there was the sign of bloodlust in them, something Anko could understand all too well. Eyes were glued at the scene as the other Genin stood frighteningly at the danger that emanated from between the violet-haired woman and the Grass shinobi.

"You know, I really only recommend you stand this close behind me…if you wish to reach premature end." Anko warned with a smile, taking her kunai back from the Grass ninja's tongue.

Retreating it back into her mouth, the mysterious shinobi smiled eerily, her eyes hidden beneath her straw hat. "My pardon. With the sight of blood and your blade slicing through my hair, I'm afraid I just became a little excited. I meant you no harm."

"Likewise."

Anko watched the Grass ninja sauntered over back to her teammates. There was something about the kid the set her off, feeling the odd vibes she was getting as she stared at the Grass ninja, but she shrugged it off.

"Seems like everyone here today is quick tempered. There must be something in the air." Anko smirked in anticipation at the fun that was soon to come. "Hmm, this is gonna be fun."

_Quick tempered? Sheesh! You're the one who threw the kunai at me! _Naruto yelled inside his head in annoyance, his eyes tracking out Anko as she headed back to front to face all of the Genin.

"Now, before we begin this test, I've something to hand out to you all." The snake kunoichi reached in her coat and held out a pile of paper in her right hand to show to the Genin. "It's just a standard consent form. Before the test, all of you are going to have to read over this form, and then sign it."

"What for?" Naruto asked her.

"Some of you may not come back from this test, and I have to get your consent to that risk. Otherwise, it'll be my reasonability." Anko explained with a sheepish smile and laugh. Murmurs filled the crowd again, worried and scared looks surfacing on some of the kids' faces.

"Now, I'll explain what you'll be doing on this. Here, pass these out." The snake kunoichi gave the stack of forms to the Nine-Tailed boy to hand out to everyone else. "The first thing you need to know is that this test will tax every one of your survival skills."

Pulling out a scroll, she let the flap fall down to present it to the Genin, displaying the image of the Forest of Death. "First, I'll give you all a description of the terrain on the practice field. The Forty-Fourth Battle Training Zone has 44 locked entrance gates. There are rivers and a forest inside. In the center is a locked tower, located 10 kilometers from each gate. It's in this confined area that you'll undergo the survival test."

Anko rolled the scroll in swift movement, putting it inside her scroll and producing one blue scroll and one white scroll in her hand to the Genin, her eyes narrowing at them intensely. "The test consists of...anything-goes battle to get your hands on these scrolls."

"Both of them?" Sasuke Uchiha questioned, his hands in his white shorts pockets.

"Yes, you'll be fighting to get _both_ a Heaven Scroll and an Earth Scroll." Anko glanced at the children as they stared at the scrolls in her hands. "Altogether, 26 teams will be taking part in this test. So half of those teams will be going after the Heaven Scroll, and the other half will be trying to get the Earth Scroll. I'll hand over one of kind scroll to each team, and _that's_ what you'll be fighting for."

"Okay, so how do we pass the test?" the Uchiha kid inquired.

"Your entire squad must bring _both_ a Heaven Scroll and an Earth Scroll to the tower."

"That means at the very best, half of us will fail. More if not every team is able to get both the scrolls." Sakura pointed out.

"No one ever said it would be easy. Oh, and one more thing: The test has a time limit. You must finish it within five days." Anko told them, tucking the scrolls back into her coat.

"Five days out there?" Ino Yamanaka shouted in disbelief.

Her chubby teammate, Chōji Akimichi, couldn't agree more. "What're we supposed to do for food?"

"Just look around. The forest's full of things to eat." Anko replied calmly. "There's plenty to feed all of you."

A new voice belonging to a silver-haired boy with circular glasses spoke up. "Yeah, but that's not all the forest has plenty of. There are man-eating beasts and poisonous plants in there."

"Aw, maaan…" the Akimichi boy whined in a loud groan.

"Quiet down! This is why they call it survival, you know." Ino reprimanded him.

"That means, with these circumstances, there's no way half the teams will pass the test." Neji Hyūga pointed out in a cool voice.

"The days getting longer, the nights are getting shorter, so we will have less time to sleep, and less time to recover. It is a challenge, indeed!" Rock Lee exclaimed in excitement, his white teeth glinted with a small sparkle.

"Completely surrounded by enemies… There won't be time to rest. We'll have to keep a constant watch." Sasuke added in, sounding like he was already prepared to take down anyone who will stand in his way.

Anko nodded with her hands back on her hips, pleased that Genin now understand the importance of this test. "Right. This test also measures endurance behind enemy lines. This is design to be a _grueling_ test, and I'm sure some of you won't be up to the challenge."

Raising his hand as if he was asking permission to speak inside a classroom, Shikamaru piped up. "So, um, let's say in mid-exam, can we quit?"

Anko swiveled her to head to frown at the lazy boy. "Of course not! In a middle of a battle you can't say, 'Sorry, I quit.'" Smiling, she let out a couple of chuckles. "Well, I guess you can, but it will only get you killed!"

"Oh, just great… This is gonna a drag…" the Nara boy complained, arms folded across his chest as he received a annoyed look from his female teammate while his best friend was munching down on some chips.

Ignoring the boy, Anko turned her attention back to the rest of the Genin, holding out three fingers one by one as she explained the rules for the test. "There are also some ways you can get disqualified. The first is simple: If all three members of a team can't make it to the tower with both scrolls after five days. Number two: If a team loses a member or if a member becomes incapacitated and cannot continue. But most important, none of you, _absolutely none of you_, may look at the contents of the scrolls until you've reached the tower."

"What've if it just flaps open and you read it?" Naruto inquired, his curiosity spiked up.

Chuckling, Anko smiled and held up a finger. "Let me put it to you this way, young man: You. Don't. Want. To. Know."

The Nine-Tailed child moaned disappointedly.

"There are times when a ninja will asked to carry secret documents. The scroll rule is to test your integrity. Okay, we're done. Each team take your consent forms and exchange over their for your scrolls." Anko pointed the shed on her right. "After that, each time pick a gate, and you'll be lead inside." Sighing tiredly, Anko straightened herself up as she bellowed her last warning to the group of Genin. "Oh, and I have one more word of advice: JUST DON'T DIE!"

And with that said, all of the kids got into their teams and talked over their consent form, while some of them wandered off on their own to read it over. The air was heavy with anticipation, worried and eagerness. Meanwhile, the other proctors drew up a curtain at the scroll distribution shed, making sure no one else will know which team had which scroll.

_Hmm… Looks like they're starting to understand what's really involved in this test. _Anko observed the crowd of Genin with her hands in her coat pockets, pleased that some of them just realized how serious this test is. Her eyes lingered the most on the Uchiha boy, sitting against a large rock. She liked that determination in his onyx eyes, and something told her that kid had great potential to make it through this test. Once everyone was ready to hand in their forms, Anko watched as they headed to the shed to collect their scrolls, a slight breeze wafted through her violet hair and a smile gracing her lips. _I wonder if any of them will survive this…_

Staring down at her wristwatch on her on her right arm, reading it as it was close to two o'clock in the afternoon, Anko's loud voice carried among the Genin.

"Listen up! All of the teams had received their scrolls, so everybody go to your gate and wait there! When the gates open, the test is on!" When it was close to 2:30, the proctors started to unlock the gates, letting the chains slide off the handles. As the clock stroked precisely at 2:30, the snake kunoichi finally gave out her last announcement. "All right, heads up, you maggots! The second part of the test has begun!"

The gates opened with a _whoosh_ as soon as she spoke those words, and in went the Genin. It wasn't long afterwards until Anko heard a couple of male fearful screams vibrating throughout the forest and to where Anko stood at the entrance.

Chuckling in delight, Anko smirked broadly. "Sounds like the fun has begun."

ஜ ~ ஜ

A few hours later, Anko sat on the flat roof of the shed, her legs hanging in the air as she snacked down on her favorite food, enjoying herself while she paid no mind to the carnage that was taking place within the Forest of Death.

"Mmm-mm… Nothing makes dumplings goes down like a little sweet red bean soup. Ahh… Nice." She happily sipped down the can of soup and then another bite off her stick of dumpling. "Guess it's about that time. Soon after I finish this little snack, I'll see how the kiddies are doing. The quicker ones will be finishing soon. I suppose I'll wait and go greet them at the tower."

She munched down the last dumpling on her stick and lazily threw to the trunk of a nearby tree with perfect accuracy without even looking, adding the last stick to complete an outline of a Leaf symbol that was made out of at least fifty dumpling sticks—a testament of how much she loved her village as much as her favorite food.

"There—a perfect Leaf Village symbol!" Anko smiled brightly at her completed design.

In a puff of smoke, a sentinel dressed in the standard Chūnin Exams proctor uniform appeared before the snake kunoichi, kneeling down on one knee. It was Mozuku, one of the other proctors for the exams. "Pardon, ma'am, there's a problem!"

"Hmm? What sort of problem?" Anko inquired calmly, swinging her legs from left to right.

"Corpses, ma'am! Three of them!" came the urgent reply.

However, Anko remained nonchalant about the news. Hearing about dead bodies wasn't anything new. People were killed in the Chūnin Exams all the time. Whatever they found was probably the remains of a bunch of kids that got themselves slaughtered in the exams. Mumbling, she continued to munched down her dumpling in her mouth as she replied in a slightly bored tone, "Come on. I'm trying to eat here."

"I think you'll want to see them. There is something strange about them." Mozuku told her. That caught Anko's interest as she swallowed the last of her food down in her throat, putting a finger to her chin. What could be so weird about corpses?

"Besides being dead?" she voiced her thoughts out loud.

ஜ ~ ஜ

When Anko arrived at the area, her stomach lurched at gruesome sight in front of her. She gazed down at the awkwardly twisted positions that bodies were laid facedown on the ground and against the Leaf Village's Buddha statues as fear sliced through her.

It wasn't the splattered blood across the Buddha statues that bothered her, nor was it the rancid smell of the three dead bodies radiating off them. What really frightened the brave and tough kunoichi the most was the fact that their faces were gone, as if something or someone ripped them off. The wind blew in the trees, sending chills down Anko's spine, giving the area an even more terrible aura to it.

"I went through their belongings, found their identification—Ninja from the Hidden Grass Village. All three of them were registered for the Chūnin Exams." Kotetsu Hagane, one of the other proctors for the exams, reported with his arms crossed over his chest. "They weren't just killed.

"All their faces…" Anko felt her fingers twitched at the nervousness she felt rising up inside her, almost curling into a fist. She felt disturbed, an uneasy feeling of remembrance was nagging at the back of her brain. It was something darkly familiar… "They're gone…"

"Yeah." Kotetsu frowned grimly at the dead bodies. "There's nothing where their faces used to be, like they melted or something."

Anko grasped at her Curse Mark, her right making its way almost unconsciously to where it was branded on her neck. She gazed down at one of the Genin, trying desperately to remember where she saw that clothing before.

_No doubt about it. _She thought gravely, clenching her teeth together so tightly that it would seem like they were going to break. She closed her fingers over the mark that she had loathed so much ever since _he_ gave it to her. _This is _his _jutsu. Why's he here? What's he doing at the Chūnin Exams?_

She felt her body almost trembling at the terror swirling within her, sounds of shaking gasps escaping her lips. Snapping out of her own thoughts, she turned to the Chūnin behind her, pivoting around in a panicked state. "Okay, I need photos of what these three used to look like! Where're their IDs?"

"Right here, ma'am." Mozuku handed her the pictures. She gripped the photos in her hand, recognizing the first image of the Grass ninja immediately.

_So this is the face he stole…_ The snake kunoichi's eyes widened at realization and she gasped in shock, remembering the incident that place between her and the Grass ninja earlier today. _Had it already happened when…?_

"Ugh… We've got big trouble!" She swiveled around to face Kotetsu and the other two Chūnin, all of them startled by her alarmed and urgent tone. "Okay, get moving! Tell Lord Hokage _exactly_ what's happened here! And while you at it, tell the ANBU Black Ops they better get a couple of convoys to the Forest of Death!" She turned her back to them before she went on. "Meanwhile, I'm gonna head in after these guys! Now go!"

"Right!' The three men disappeared from her sight at once, knowing better to follow her orders and ask questions later.

_He's come… He's here in the Hidden Leaf Village…_Anko reached for her neck again, her face becoming dark and dangerously serious as a foul wind moved in the air. All of her bitter emotions of hate and fury boiled inside her gut, feeding off the longing to settle the score between her and the man who had cursed her life.

_He_ was _here_.

It was time to end it.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Hours passed since the violet-haired woman journeyed into the densely overgrown Forest of Death, racing through the trees and all the while avoiding out the traps and ravenous beasts in the area. The sun was setting soon, its crimson glow shining beautifully over the Hidden Leaf Village. If it weren't for the dire situation she was in, Anko would've stopped and admired the sun's blood-like blaze.

She jumped from one tree to another, allowing herself to fall until her hands caught on a thick branch, using the momentum to swing herself up on it to halt her pursuit for her perpetrator, gazing as the sun was sinking further down in the sky.

_Sun's going down… I gotta find him soon. My odds are bad enough as it; it'll get worse in the dark. But why _now_? What the devil could he be after?_ Anko shook off her musings, not caring what _his_ motives are. The most important thing was to stop _him_ from gaining it, at any cost. That was her goal, her fierce duty that she had pledged within her heart for so long. _Hmm… No matter, he's here. Time to finish this."_

ஜ ~ ஜ

When night had fallen upon the village like a blanket, it was only then Anko's senses were able to picked his presence up. She darted through the trees, galloping from one branch to another and over many other forest obstacles that stood in her way. Her violet bangs lashed at her eyes, but she ignored it as she increased her hasty pace in the Forest of Death.

_I can feel him! He's somewhere close! _Anko jumped down from one tree to land in a space between two enormous ones, her body running closer to he was, as if she was being drawn closer to him by a magnetic force. She wondered if the Curse Mark had something to do with it, but she forcefully shrugged off that thought as she used her amazing reflexes and smooth acrobat movements to leap through the trees until she came to her destination.

He was upside, his entire body embedded itself a tree, and half of his 'face' was peeled off and winkled, allowing his old student to see parts of his true features. His slit-pupil eye opened as she landed down in front of him. She approached him almost casually, without a single hint of fear in her eyes. There was no room for it, not now.

She wasn't afraid him…or maybe she was. She just didn't show it, not in front of him. She looked at him directly with bold eyes, although the aura radiating from his body could frighten any shinobi that came in contact with him. However, Anko was different, knowing there was always that darkness, that malice in his golden eyes, even when she was under his tutelage. She was so young back then, blinded by her admiration and love for him to see what he truly was. She was so _stupid_; she should've seen his true, dark intentions.

Orochimaru chuckled softly, amused to see his old student again. "Well, well, Anko. It's been a while..."

"This is no time to reminisce, you're an S-class criminal, top of the most wanted list. You've got to be taken down, and it's only fitting that I'm the one to do it." Anko replied back at him harshly as she slid senbon needles between her fingers in her right hand, not taking his bait. "'Cause after all, you're the one that taught me everything, right, Sensei?"

"Not quite." he answered, simply. Anko growled, preparing to throw the needles at him when his expandable, long tongue shot out from his mouth as it started to chase and lash at her. She leapt backward onto a side of a tree to dodge it, but his tongue followed and coiled itself around her wrist, forcing her to drop her weapons as he pulled her towards him.

She landed on the branch and she held out her free hand at her old sensei. "Striking Shadow Snake!"

Green snakes from her sleeve slithered and crashed into the bark the tree Orochimaru was embedded in, causing a large cloud dust.

"Come outta there!" Anko yelled, pulling the serpents to force Orochimaru towards her and slammed him the tree opposite of him. She retracted the vipers into her sleeve and quickly went over to him, pinning her left hand over his right hand against the tree, stabbing them both with a kunai to prevent him from escaping her.

Orochimaru was slightly surprised by her actions, observing her carefully with his exposed slit-eye. She winced, panted heavily and ignored the pain and blood flowing from the self-inflicted wound, its tangy smell invading her nostrils like a drug. "Hah… I gotcha'. Now then, lemme just borrow your left hand."

She entwined her right hand with his left hand, sticking up her index finger and her pinky. Orochimaru gasped slightly, his revealed eye widened in recognition and then drifted back to his old pupil. "That hand sign…"

"Right, it's over. You and I are going to die here." She gasped for air as she stared at him with tired eyes, a small fatigued smirk on her face. Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes and thought out the jutsu in her head. _Ninja Art: Twin Snake Sacrifice Jutsu…!_

Anko stopped midway when she heard an eerie laugh echoing in the air around her. "I'm afraid you will die alone, Anko…"

Her eyes snapped open in shock and she gasped, pivoting her head slowly to see him standing on the other side of the massive branch, peeling off the rest of his mask to show his true, pale features.

"That's right; Substitution." He indicated the duplicate she pinned to the tree. She whirled her head back to the copy; her eyes broadened even more as it melted into mud.

The moon shone down on them with its luminous light, giving Orochimaru a more oppressive aura to him. Anko heard him laughing at her near-death experience as she shut her eyes down in shame and agony, all of her confidence washing away from her. This was just too mortifying for her to endure, her gut clenching at her desperate attempt to stop him.

Sauntering to her with a haughty smile, he spoke to her in a taunting tone. "Of course, you're one of the elite now, a righteous warrior. How naughty of you to be using a Forbidden Jutsu I taught you."

His old pupil watched him from the corner of her eyes, grimacing in anguish as she took the kunai out of her left hand that was coated in her blood and threw at him. He caught the flying kunai between two fingers easily and let it fall to the ground. What pathetic move she made on her part, thinking that it would do any good. _Ever less than a perfect student, after all, but…_

"It won't work, Anko…" he smirked at her coldly, making a hand sign with index and middle fingers pointed up. Anko felt a sudden intense pain raging inside her body that radiated from her neck. He strolled towards her and then stopped in front of Anko, watching her struggled in agony.

"Wh—Why are you here?" she hissed in raw hatred, trying to deal with the pain that was coursing through her.

"I'm disappointed. I'd expected a friendlier reception after all this time." he mocked, eyeing her as she panted to catch her breath.

She glared at him with immense virulent in her gaze. "Don't tell me you've came here to assassinate Lord Hokage?"

"No, not yet... I still don't have quite enough followers to attempt that." he responded with a shake to his head, talking to her if she was just a child. "But, I've heard such good things about this village that I thought I want to make it mine."

Soon, the pain was too much for Anko to handle and she fell to her knees. She grasped her neck, exactly on the spot where she was burdened to bear his Curse Mark. It was the only thing that connected those two again.

"Aw, it's the mark, isn't it?" Orochimaru inquired with fake sympathy. "I'd put that same Curse Mark on a young man just a little while ago."

Anko didn't look at him, her eyes were shut tight, but she could feel him kneeling down to her.

"He's a very promising prospect," he continued, bragging about the boy that he had chosen for his next vessel. She finally looked at him; her eyes blazing with renew hatred.

"You haven't change, I see!" she growled at him, venom laced in her words. "He'll _die_ before he serves you!"

"Very possibly." Orochimaru replied with a small chuckle. "I'd say that the odds are one and ten against him. But the kid may survive, as _you_ did."

"Sounds like you want him badly, huh…?"Anko smirked bitterly at him. She gasped loudly when she saw his hand made its way to her face and caressed her face almost affectionately. Her eyes enlarged at his touch, his fingers were cold and smooth against her alabaster skin.

"Aw, jealous...? Is that it?" he purred at her, stroking her cheek amusedly. "You can't forgive me, can you, for using you and then tossing you aside?"

The purple-haired kunoichi snarled angrily at him as his hand left her cheek. Above anything else in the world, she hated being reminded of _that_ time. He smirked at her, proceeding to talk about his chosen vessel.

"In some ways, the boy has even more potential than you had. You see, he's inherited the sublime abilities of the Uchiha clan, and his physical condition is excellent. Yes, he might very well be the heir I'm looking for. At the very least, he must things interesting." Orochimaru stood up, his smile spreading with a sadistic glee with every word he spoke. He held out his hands, a sign that he wouldn't hurt her anymore than he had already have as he started to walk away. "Whatever happens, make sure no one stops the exams early. Three of my followers are also candidates; I look forward on seeing how they fare."

Purple flames engulfed where he was, but even though he was gone, he voice continued to linger in the air. "Bare this in mind: If anything happens to deprive me of my fun...it means the end of the Leaf Village."

Anko listened to his warning, staring at the spot where he once stood and at the kunai that was covered in her blood, leaving her alone and enraged with raw abhorrence to the man she once—and secretly still do—loved with all her heart.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko sat on a rock in a grassy, rocky field, bandaging the laceration on her palm before she lose any more blood or it could become infected. The last thing she needed was something else slowing her down from performing her duty.

Anko sighed when she finished tying the knot on the bandages, her brown eyes gazing down at the ground beneath her feet. _I've wasted enough time. Somebody's gotta tell Lord Hokage._

Her logic sense told her it was right thing to do at the moment, but her personal desire screamed at her to go back and chased after Orochimaru before the trail got any colder than it already it is. There was no way of telling when she would get another chance to kill him with own hands. She wanted nothing more than to carry out her revenge against her ex-mentor. She needed to find him, not only for herself but for the Leaf Village as well.

Adding in the Leaf Village's sake into her vendetta was probably just anther excuse she threw in as a reasonable decision to go after him rather than go inform Lord Hokage. It was indeed a selfish motive, but it was something Anko desperately needed to do in order to live her life peacefully. As long as he lived, he will continue to haunt her.

Anko felt numb and empty after encountering her former sensei again. So many emotions were twisting within her like an inferno, a feeling of dread consuming her. She couldn't stop thinking about his words, what he said about the Uchiha kid. He made it clear that he wanted the Uchiha's strength, but there was something also quite vague about his words that Anko couldn't put her finger on. There was something far more evil going behind his motives, but what in the world could it be?

Deciding it was no use worrying over while she was alone in the middle of a field, Anko stood up from her seat and began making her way towards to the tower. She halted her tracks when she eyed something golden from within in her trees.

"Huh…?" She frowned at her stroke of bad luck. Golden, cat-like eyes peered through the brushes, hungry growls breaking the silence that surrounded her only few seconds ago. A giant tiger emerged from its hiding place and started slowly advancing towards his chosen meal that was, unfortunately, Anko.

"Ugh… I don't have time for this." Brown optics darted to the side when she saw another tiger sliding down a slope and another came up from behind her. The snake kunoichi's back hit the huge rock behind her until she was trapped between her predators. They glowered down at her with yellow eyes, baring their fangs like she was a scrap of meat.

To make matters worse, waves of pain shot through her body again from the Curse Mark. Anko grunted, bringing her hand over to where the mark rested on her neck, her knees almost buckling. The tiger let out a voracious roar, but then it suddenly tumbled sideways, like some invisible force was hitting it. Puzzled, Anko glanced at the other two tigers that were being pitched down be the strong force and were unable to get back up.

"It's a Paralysis Jutsu!" she remarked in surprised.

"So there you are, Anko," stated a male's voice. The violet-haired woman turned her head to see the source of the voice. Two ANBU Black Ops members were perched on a tree branch, one wearing a bird-like mask with spiky brown hair and the other with a cat-like mask ANBU with black hair tied in a small ponytail. They jumped down from where they stood and landed to where Anko was, the bird-masked ANBU on the rock behind her and the cat-masked one standing a good two feet away from her side.

"Man, you ANBU goons took your time getting here, didn't you?" Anko commented in irritation.

"Well, there's no need to get snippy." the beaked ANBU man replied, and it was then Anko gasped and clutched at her Curse Mark, her knees giving out from under her as she fell to the ground, a flood of pain surging in her body again. The bird-masked ANBU leaped off the rock and knelt beside her.

"Anko! Are you all right? What is it—" he was interrupted when he noticed the three tomoe mark on her neck. When he spoke again, it was out of fear and alarm. "That Curse Mark has appeared! But that means… Orochimaru!"

"What, here? No!" the second ANBU shouted.

"Hurry, let's get you up. We'll carry you to Lord Hokage if we have to." the bird-masked ANBU insisted to Anko.

"No! No… Take me to the tower…" she refused, managing to force the words out from her agony.

"What're you talking about?" the cat-masked ANBU demanded. "You know we have to raise the alarm at the first sign of Orochimaru! That's more important than the Chūnin Exams."

"I know, but…" Anko closed her eyes, pausing for a moment until she glanced up at the ANBU looming over her with a pleading expression. "All right, then. Summon Lord Hokage to the tower, I'll explain everything there.'

ஜ ~ ஜ

"This is turning into a real mess. But there's no way we can cancel the test." Anko sat on a blue sofa inside the tower, the pain from the Curse Mark no longer causing any more misery…for now. The two ANBU stood in front of her, the beaked-mask ANBU with his are folded across his chest.

"What do you mean?" he inquired, but before she could answer, the door to the room they were in swung open, and at the doorway stood Iwashi Tatami, another proctor for the Chūnin Exams, with a cassette in his left hand.

"Sorry to interrupt," he apologized.

Anko's head shot up and she glared at him in annoyance at being disturbed. "Whaddaya want? We're talking about something important!"

The Chūnin proctor flinched, tensing at her angry and hostile tone, but he quickly regained his composure, showing the tape to Anko. "Uh, I-I'm sorry, but it's this tape… You have to see it."

"What is it?" the cat-masked ANBU questioned, impatiently.

Iwashi walked over to the DVR and knelt down, slipping the tape inside the machine as the screen became blurry until he produced an image of three Sand shinobi onto the monitor. "Okay now, when you watch this, pay special attention to the time."

At the upper right corner of the screen were white numbers, reading 16:07. Anko stared at the monitor for a long time until she realized what she was seeing.

"Wha…? But that means…" she trailed off her sentence.

"That's right, Anko. This was recorded from _inside the tower_. It's unbelievable." The male Chūnin's eyes shifted to her and then back at the television that projected the video of the three Sand ninja. "Those ninja finished only and hour and thirty-seven minutes after the test started. They completely destroyed the record for finishing the second test."

Anko bolted up her seat, shocked written all over her face. "Wha—That's impossible!"

"It took just 97 minutes… Nothing like this has ever happened before, no one's even come close." Iwashi pivoted his head at the snake kunoichi. "Those ninja from the Sand Village…are way above Genin level. They've beat the record by four hours."

"I'm afraid it's not just that." Anko added in.

"I don't get it. What do you mean?"

"It's 10 kilometers from the test entrance gates to the tower, and in between are ferocious animals and poisonous insects, not to mention the other ninja. Could they've really avoided all those things?" Anko pointed out, making her way to one of the windows in the room. "Especially the brown-haired kid in the front."

"What's so special about him?" Iwashi asked, bewildered.

"You mean you didn't see?"

The Chūnin proctor replayed the tape over, studying the screen closely.

"Interesting… That is quite a surprise." the beaked-masked ANBU remarked, clearly impressed.

Iwashi looked at the two ANBU behind him, still puzzled. "I still don't get it. What am I suppose to be seeing here?'

"It's what you're _not_ seeing. Look closely at his body." Anko told him, watching him from the corner of her eye.

A moment passed until a firm line crossed Iwashi's face. "I see it now."

"Not one single scratch. And I haven't even been able to spot one little speck of dirt on his clothing." Anko mumbled as she stared out the night from the window, her face unreadable.

"He must have some special ability." the bird-masked ANBU suggested, a hand on his hip.

"It's been a long time since we had such a promising candidate," the cat-masked ANBU said, arms folded across his chest. "But his eyes are pure evil."

Anko agreed silently. That boy's aquamarine eyes were like gazing deep into the depths of a vast ocean and into an abyss of nothingness. It was the same thing as staring at an empty, bottomless pit of blackness…and that uncomfortably reminded Anko too much about the obsidian darkness in her very own soul.


	2. Meetings

"A good harvest?" came a chilly voice as soon as Kabuto and his teammates entered the tower.

"Yes, even better than expected." he answered with an icy smirk on his face. "I learned _a lot_ about him during the second exam. And I recorded all the data…on this." He held up one of his Ninja Info Cards between two fingers. "You want it?"

The snake of a man took the card his subordinate. "Of course... So tell me, what did you think?"

Kabuto gave off a small icy laugh, placing a hand on his hip. "Your curiosity is truly insatiable, Lord Orochimaru."

The Snake Sannin smiled, examining the card in his pale hand as he leaned against the wall of the tower. "As a Sound Village spy, you see things others don't. Your opinion…is of interest to me."

"Oh, it doesn't really matter, does it?" the medic asked in his usual dry humor tone, placing two fingers over the scratch he received over the bridge of his nose in the Forest of Death, removing them a second later to show that the wound was now gone. His circular glasses held a sinister glimmer to them as he smirked at his lord and master. "Whatever I think, you're the one who decides. Isn't that always the way?"

"You're a cagey one, aren't you, Kabuto?" Orochimaru chuckled, straightening himself off the wall and disappeared in a whirlwind of smoke. Although his presence was gone, his eerie voice remained in the air. "I like that. Good work."

ஜ ~ ஜ

It was already the next day, but the pain Anko felt from last night was still excruciating as ever. She sat in the Monitor Room on the blue couch, Kotetsu and Izumo standing behind it, one at each side. Lord Hokage stood in front of Anko, his expression turning from grim to grave with concern for the snake kunoichi.

"Ugh…" She clutched the Curse Mark with her right hand; the left side of her coat sleeve was off her shoulder.

"How is it? Does the Curse Mark still cause you pain?" Lord Hokage inquired, his usual smoking pipe dangling in his mouth.

"No, not really. Thanks to you it's much better." Anko replied gratefully, her voice strained.

"That's good, but we better get back to business." Kotetsu pointed out while Anko adjusted her coat back on her. "This Orochimaru is one of the Sannin, the Legendary Three Ninja, isn't he? He's supposed to be so incredibly powerful that not even the ANBU Black Ops Unit could bring him down. I heard a rumor that he died, but I guess that wasn't true."

"Why did he come to this village now, anyway?" Izumo questioned, his voice was laced with slight anger.

Anko gasped when the memory of Orochimaru caressing her soft face as he bragged about the boy dawned at her. "That kid…"

"He's after Sasuke, right?" Hiruzen finished for her.

"Wha…?" Anko stared up at him in disbelief, amazed on how he could read her so easily. Or maybe it was because he already knew the answer to what his former student was after. A good teacher always knows his student, after all. Perhaps, it was a mixture of both. Like teacher, like student, Anko thought.

"Anko!" A voice interrupted from one of the televisions in the room, the screen flickering to show an image of Iwashi on it, and everyone pivoted their heads in the direction of the monitor. "We've confirmed that 21 ninja has finished the second exam. And as for the third exam, according to the rules, we'll have to hold a round of preliminaries first. The first time…in five years."

The screen went out and there was a small paused amongst the group in the room. Anko's wide eyes still gazed up at the Hokage as he swiveled around to look at her.

"Now, for the time being, we'll just continue with the exams as planned. But I also want to keep an eye on _his_ movements as well." Hiruzen told her.

"Yes." Anko agreed in a quiet tone.

ஜ ~ ஜ

A few minutes later, Anko stood with the Jōnin, Chūnin, and Genin in the arena in the tower. She was in the front to the far left, her good friend, Ibiki, to the far right on the side of Lord Hokage. The Jōnin, the only ones with the squads that passed the second test, stood behind Lord Hokage, their figures tall and proud as they each looked at their students.

"First of all, congratulations on finishing the second exam!" Anko's voice carried among the Genin. She smirked, inwardly pleased and surprised on how many ninja were able to survive her test. _Hah… There was 78 ninja who took that exam. Frankly, I'm surprised that even 21 passed. I knew that less than half would make it, but I really thought the number would be in the single digits._

"All right, now pay attention! Lord Hokage's going to explain the third exam to you! You better listen carefully, maggots." Anko commanded the Genin, whose minds were elsewhere. Bowing slightly, she turned to Hiruzen. "Lord Hokage, they're all yours."

After Lord Hokage went through explaining the real purpose of the Chūnin Exams, the sickly _Hayate_ Gekkō came forward before Hiruzen could tell the exhausted Genin about the third exam. He explained to them that they were to hold a round preliminaries first before continuing over to the third exam, since there was so many of them left. And all the while, Anko couldn't take her eyes off the Uchiha boy on Kakashi Hatake's team.

What Orochimaru said to her about the Uchiha still troubled her. She pitied the boy for being branded with the Curse Mark just like her, but there was small part of her that envied him for the power he wielded to be able to survived it. It was just as her ex-mentor said to her in the Forest of Death. Could this boy really be better than her?

"It's just as I feared." Hiruzen stated, referring to Sasuke's reaction the waves of pain he was receiving from the Curse Mark. The Uchiha boy was grasping onto his neck firmly while talking to his two teammates, Naruto and Sakura.

"What do we do with him?" Ibiki inquired.

"We take him out of the exam, hand him over to Black Ops, and let them keep him locked up." Anko suggested, knowing exactly how to deal with someone that was branded with the Curse Mark since went through it herself a long time ago. She wanted to take out the Uchiha and keep him far away from Orochimaru's clutches as possible. It was the only way to keep the child safe, and prevent Orochimaru from getting to him. "We have to keep that seal under control or—"

"Oh, and he's just going to quietly go along with this, huh?" a voice inserted casually, and Anko pivoted her head around to see Kakashi lazily smiling under that mask of his, his hands in his pants pockets. "You really think so? You're forgetting he's of the Uchiha clan."

"I don't care what the heck he is! If he stays, he's a danger to everyone! Don't you see? As he gets stronger, so does the Curse Mark! _**That thing**_ is feeding off his chakra! It's a Forbidden Jutsu that devours the one who bears it!" she yelled angrily, twisting around to fully look at him with a heated expression etched on her face, gripping tightly on her own Curse Mark as she spoke her next words in a soft voice. She glanced the boy over her shoulder, almost seeing a mirror image of herself in his place, remembering when she was first branded with the Curse Mark. How could someone like Kakashi possibly understand the power that the Curse Mark holds? All she wanted was to save Sasuke from going through that painful experience like she did. "It's incredible the kid's still standing. By now, he...should be dead."

Turning around, the snake kunoichi directed her voice to Hiruzen, whose stern eyes were rooted on the Uchiha boy. "Lord Hokage!"

"Okay, you got me. I'm out." came a voice from the group of Genin. A silver-haired boy clad in purple garbs raised his hand up with a sheepish smile on his face. He was quitting the exams, and Hayate allowed him to leave after confirming his name: Kabuto Yakushi. The silver-haired child was then engrossed in a conversation with Nine-Tailed kid when he pivoted around to leave, halting his tracks.

"Seems to me I've seen that one before. If memory serves, this isn't the first time he's dropped out before a battle. What kind of game is he playing?" Lord Hokage wondered out loud.

"Anko." the sadist prompted her out from the daze she was in.

"Oh… Right." She snapped her attention to the clipboard in her hand; flipping through the pages until she found the one she was looking for and read it. "Kabuto Yakushi. Says here he's…failed six times in a row."

"What do you have on his background?" Hiruzen asked curiously.

"His time at the Academy was not what you'd called impressive. Average grades, took him a full three tries before he passed the graduation exam. As far the missions he's carried out since then, there's been 2 C-ranks and 14 D-ranks. It's not exactly a battle record to write home about. However…" she paused, her eyes lifting up to meet Third Hokage's eyes.

"Go on." he urged her.

"There's something _before_ his time in the Academy."

"Huh?" Hiruzen's old eyes widened slightly at the news.

"Do you remember the child, the one who was found after the Battle of Kikyō Pass? _The only survivor_?"

"I remembered the story. It was said a small boy was found among the enemy's dead battlefield. He was found barely alive and brought back by a Jōnin from the Medical Unit." His gaze lingered on the silver-haired orphan in the group of Genin. "You're saying _this_ is that boy?"

All eyes watched Kabuto leave the arena. Anko couldn't shrug off the odd feeling she was getting from that kid. There was something weird about him, something cryptic. He was just as vague as Orochimaru, like he was hiding something behind those circular glasses of his, but she decided to ignore it for now.

Moving on, Lord Hokage breathed out smoke from his pipe in his mouth, eyeing Sasuke who was still in deep conversation with his teammates again. "I'm still concerned about what Orochimaru said. Allow the boy to continue with the exams for now and we'll see what happens."

"What? But, Lord Hokage…!" Anko tried to protest, but was cut off when Hiruzen continued.

"However, at the first sign of the Curse Mark growing or his power getting out of control, you will step in and stop it."

"Right." Ibiki nodded calmly.

"But I…!" Anko wanted to argue further, but chose against it. She knew Lord Hokage's word was law, and had no choice but to accept it. She could only hope he made the right decision, as well as the decision for not taking any other actions to stop Sasuke on her own. "As you wish."

With no other participants backing down to quit, Hayate explained the rules for the prelims and then gestured his head at Anko, who nodded and pivoted her head to face the wall behind her, holding the microphone close to her mouth.

"Open the panel." she ordered, and a section of the wall slide up to revealed a screen, which was going to display the names of the two-on-two match up for the Genin. The board flickered rapidly until two names appeared for the first match: Sasuke Uchiha VS Yoroi Akadō. What a sick stroke of bad luck. They picked _him_ right off the bat, Anko thought grimly. She could feel Kakashi's intense, uneasy stare when Sasuke's name was chosen as well. They were both unsure how things were going to end up.

Everyone else the arena to move to the upper levels, observing the match carefully as the chakra-sucking Genin absorbed Sasuke's chakra into him, draining him of his strength. The way he is now, everyone knew there was no possibly way he could win the intense match with the Curse Mark causing him pain. Sasuke was able to turn the tables in the middle of the match, using the Dancing Leaf Shadow on his opponent to kick him in the air, astounding everybody at the will he demonstrated.

However, as the Uchiha leaped into the air to float behind Yoroi, the Curse Mark started to spread its tar marks across his body, agonizing pain flowing through him and just waiting for the chance to take over. But with his strong will and stubborn ambition and power, he shocked Anko, Orochimaru, who was disguised as a Sound Jōnin, and Kakashi when he was able to force his Curse Mark to draw back.

_The Curse Mark receded!_ Anko gazed up at him in astonishment. There's no possible way he could've gained control over the Curse Mark so quickly after just receiving it. Even when he landed the finishing blow to his adversary in his match with his Lions Barrage, Anko was still in disbelief that he was able to actually do it. The battle took a lot out of him, of course, but it was amazing he was still conscious after he went through all of that. She was in trance as she glued her eyes onto the Uchiha boy that was panting out of exertion, leaning against his teacher's leg that prevented him from falling backwards after he was declared the winner of the first match. _I still can't believe it… The way the Curse Mark receded…as if he's gained control over it…!_

At the other side of the arena, Orochimaru was shaking in excitement at the raw and vigorous power that Sasuke had shown; his long serpent tongue came out to lick his lips, the possessive desire he held to gain the Sharingan had increased only more after witnessing that battle. _Magnificent…!_

His golden eyes glanced in the direction of his old student for a moment, her eyes still staring deeply in awe and shock at the boy's power, but then brushed her off as unimportant for now. Kakashi escorted Sasuke out after he insisted to Medical Unit that he would be taking care of his student. That was Orochimaru's sign to go, since there was nothing left to keep him here at the tower. It was time to pay his future vessel and his sensei a visit. He made a hand sign and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Anko was awash with relief when she saw the Copy Ninja walked away with Sasuke, knowing he will be in good hands. Kakashi would protect the boy; she knew he would do anything at any cost keep him away from her evil ex-mentor. She kept thinking about Sasuke throughout the rest of the matches. The rest of the fights were like a blur to her, a haze blocking out her whole environment. She wanted to leave and go help Kakashi keep Sasuke under wraps, safe and far away from Orochimaru's wicked motives, but all she could do now was to continue with the exams.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Her feet dragged her down the brightly lit streets of the Leaf Village, her mind with no idea where she wanted to go. Her body was tired and her head was numb from her stress. Anko kept her head hung down low, her eyes on the ground as she perused about how Sasuke was faring. She was glad the preliminaries were finally over, after taking two full days to complete. She had to stay behind passing out slips of paper with numbers on it with to the Genin that made it through the prelims, and for the explanation for the third exam. It wasn't until it was already nighttime that she was able to leave.

It won't be for another month until the third exam will start. It takes time for the nobles and lords across the land to be notified of the upcoming grand event to be taken place in the stadium in the Leaf Village. And while the Chūnin Exams were still taking place, her old sensei was lurking somewhere in the village, plotting within the shadows. Anko dreaded the thought of the waste of time she was spending with the Chūnin Exams while Orochimaru was out there. The snake kunoichi gritted her teeth together in frustration, her pulse started to race rapidly, her palms sweaty at the thought of her ex-mentor's sinister plan he had in store for the Leaf Village.

She groaned tiredly, her head aching and her body sore from the lack of sleep in the last two days. The prelims took too much time, not to mention the searing pain she felt from the Curse Mark that would throb every now and then. Her pulse pounded in her ears like a small drum as she continued to wander aimlessly in the streets with no destination set in her mind.

There was no way she go home. Not yet, at least. What was the point, anyway, when her thoughts and dreams were only be filled of visions and images of _him_? No matter where she goes, whether she was awake or asleep, she could never hope to evade her former sensei.

_Never_.

Sleep was no sanctuary for her. It brought up only more painful, unwanted memories. The images of his golden, amber orbs piercing at her, his cruel laugh ringing inside her mind, the sight his pale, smirking lips. In truth, she was afraid to be asleep. The only thing that would do to her would bring up her nightmares, each worse than the last one every night. He would just haunt her in her sleep, and she didn't want that.

Her movements stopped when she noticed herself in front of a Chinese pub/restaurant labeled the Shushuya. Her hand pushed open the door slowly and she entered, the bitter scent of alcohol and cigarette invading her nostrils; the lights in restaurant blinded her sight for a second until her eyes adjusted to its brightness. Her face wrinkled at the foul smell of the place, but she stalked in anyway. The place was dimly lit up, the atmosphere dusty and dead. There was a bar at the end of restaurant and wooden booths with little to no people in them. At this time of night, the village's residents were normally either at home and asleep in their warms bed or walking in the streets, except for men with nothing better to with their lives.

Strolling over to the bar at the far end of the pub, ignoring the lustful stares she attracted from the drunken men at the booths, the snake kunoichi planted her butt into one stool and buried her head within the circle of her arms on the counter. The bartender noticed her presence her immediately, making a mental note that he haven't seen her before. Anko was never the type to come to these kinds of places frequently, after all.

He was a man in his around the age of forty, with blond spiky hair and beard with a white headband strapped on his forehead. He flashed a friendly smile at her as he came up in front of her. "What got I get ya?"

Anko lifted her head up when she sensed him approaching her, scoffing icily at his offer. "Nothing."

"That so?"

"Yeah, I don't drink."

"You sure? Looks like you could use one, lady." The bartender gave her another smile. "How about some nice ice-cold ale?"

This bartender was sure persistence, Anko thought. She shrugged her shoulders carelessly, sighing and nodded at the old man. One beer wouldn't hurt, she supposed. "Fine, I'll take one."

Grinning, the bartender laid down a glass cup and popped the cord off a large brown bottle, pouring down a dark amber liquid in before he shoved it towards Anko. The violet-haired woman grasped the glass with willowy fingers, staring at the cold drink that projected a reflecting image of her on the surface of the icy substance. She hardly recognized herself when she saw her in it. Her face was blanched and washed out, dark circle formed under her eyelids, and they were also loopy and half-opened. She shut her eyes in disgust; she'd never considered herself beautiful woman like her good friend, _Kurenai_ Yūhi.

She brought the glass to her lips, letting the cold drink slid down her throat slowly and sensually in one big gulp. There was a hissing sensation churning from inside her stomach, soothing the fire that boiled there to cool down, causing as all the thoughts of the events of the last two days to flow out of her mind. She wiped her mouth over the rivulet of ale trailing down the soft life of her jaw with her coat-covered arm, placing the glass cup back down on the counter.

"Thanks, that wasn't half bad."

"You weren't kidding when you said you never drink before," the old man grinned her with a cheeky smile. He produced another cup to her and poured down the next batch of beer for her. "Well, here. This is one is on the house."

Anko accepted the cup in her hands, her stomach feeling all fuzzy and warm from the last one. When she was about to bring the next cup to her mouth, the door to the pub swung opened and a friendly, familiar face entered.

"Anko?" The brown-haired, Special Jōnin called out to her, his tooth-picked hanging from his lips like always as he made his way towards her. "So, it really was you."

Anko swiveled her at head to see her friend. "Genma? What're you doing here?"

The male ninja took a seat beside her at the bar, studying her exhausted face closely. "I should be asking you that. I saw you in here and came in. I never thought you were the type to come to a place like this. You're not drowning in your sorrows, are you?"

The violet-haired Special Jōnin rubbed her temple wearily as she bitterly replied, "More like nursing my wounds and trying to repair whatever sanity I have left."

"Don't be so grumpy. It can't be that bad." Genma laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. Anko flinched slightly at the contact, not accustomed to being touch by just anybody, but she quickly settled at his kind gesture.

"You'd be surprised. My primary reason why I even became a ninja had betrayed, humiliated, wounded, and deserted me showed up after ten years and after the last two days' events, the shaky ground I walk on is about to go _ka-boom_…" She gulped down her glass of ale at the end of the sentence, Genma watching slack-jawed as she consumed the alcohol swiftly down her throat. She was really out of it, he thought anxiously.

"How many of those have you had?" Genma gestured to her cup of beer in her hand and the one down on the counter.

"Two, I think."

"Okay, that's enough. Come on, let's go. I'm taking you home." He slammed some ryō down on the counter to pay for his friend's drinks and caught a sober Anko in his arms when she attempted to stand on her own, but failed miserably. "Hey, careful."

"Sorry, I can walk. I'm fine, really." she insisted, but a haze clouded her mind and her muscles felt loose and weak from the beers she digested in two big gulps. She felt two strong arms swooping under her legs, hoisting her up to the male shinobi's chest as he picked her up. She cringed almost painfully at being touched so intimately by a man, but relaxed when she felt a gentle warmth beginning to surround her.

Exiting the pub, Genma carried Anko down the nearly empty streets of the Leaf Village, the cool wind wafting against their skin, the male ninja's sandals clicking against the hard ground beneath his feet. Anko tightened her grip of her arms around her friend's neck and buried her face in the crook. He smelled good, like pumpkin broth and rich spices…and he felt safe.

The two Special Jōnin didn't speak a word to each other while Genma held the purple-haired kunoichi as he made his way to her apartment. Upon arriving at their destination, Genma kicked the door leading into Anko's bedroom open, using her dangling feet to flip the light switch on in the room, and he set her down softly on the edge of the bed.

"You shouldn't drink, it's not good for your health." Genma chided her lightly with a small smile, helping her remove her coat, sandals, pouches, headband, and shin guards off her body. He pushed her back gently down on the bed, pulling the blue with white stripes blanket over her sweet, languid form. "You seem to be okay now, so I'll be—"

A hand grabbed out from under the blanket and held on his wrist firmly, stopping him from leaving when he pivoted around to the door. Anko opened her eyelids halfway, her brown eyes imbued with a tender pleading, yearning expression. "Please, don't leave me alone…"

Genma's brown, warm eyes enlarged slightly at her quiet request from her small, meek voice. The Anko he was seeing now was so different from the Anko he was normally used to seeing. Her words were layered with a kind of desperation he thought he would never hear, which was probably due to her maudlin state. She looked almost…afraid. Her eyes closed completely, but her hold on his wrist never loosened, and the male shinobi stared down at her tenderly.

It was so odd seeing her act like this, but it was also sort of…nice. Besides, with the grip on his wrist, it looked like he wasn't going to leave anything time soon. Sighing, the brown-haired ninja gave in.

"All right, you win." He gave her a boyish, sweet smile. Stripping off his headband, flack jacket, sandals, pouches, and the toothpick in his mouth, he slipped in next to Anko as she moved to make room for him in the bed. She snuggled into his soothing warm, and he wrapped an arm around her to hold her close, her face hidden against his hard, masculine chest. It didn't take long until a blissful slumber enveloped the two into a peaceful sleep, unknown to them that a pair of amber eyes was gazing at them through the window.

A few hours passed until Genma was able to tiptoed silently out of Anko's apartment, careful to not wake her up. He wondered if Anko would remember what happened between them tonight or not. He guessed not since she was drunk when they saw each other, and that was okay with him. Anko was safe and sound in her bed, that's all that mattered to him. Having her remember what transpired between them wasn't important to him just as along as she was okay.

When the male Special Jōnin finally left, the window to Anko's room lifted open quietly, and slithered in a snake. He sauntered with light footsteps to where Anko laid, curled up like a cute innocent kitten in the bed. A pale hand extended to her face, tucking away all of her strands to one side to get a better look at her angelic beauty. She really did look gorgeous in her sleep, vulnerable and lovely. A rare sight to most people, a sight that only belonged to him and wasn't willing to share.

The moonlight's pale glow played softly over her sprawled form, enhancing her beauty that was unknown to the snake kunoichi, but not him or anyone else. He let his index finger caressed down her smooth cheek, his touch feathery light. Her skin was soft, like satin velvet and warm like her pure heart. He studied the contours of her heart-shaped face, memorizing every elegant curve. The proud, graceful column of her neck was angled to one side, and he could see the most beautiful blue veins all over her creamy flesh, her pulse palpitating in a calm rhythm, much like the gentle fall and rise of her chest as she breathed in her sleep.

Her tantalizing scent enveloped the air around him, and he dipped his head to her neck in order to drink in her pleasant smell. She smelled like sweet rain and erotic flowers, an aroma that would draw any man to her with just the slightest sniff of it. How nice it was to see his _dear_ student again the Forest of Death. The Snake Sannin had enjoyed their little…spar, relishing in the vision of the scorching fury and fire in her caramel-colored eyes. She still possessed that defiance and bloodthirsty side of her, a trait she gained while under his tutelage. She came up to him with no fear, only the hatred she'd harbored towards him for all these years. And even when she crippled down due to the Curse Mark, she fiercely held onto the fervent look in her unflinching gaze and her raw tongue that challenged him. His sweet and strong girl.

He didn't know why he was here, caressing and touching her face, watching her sleep. He supposed it was out on a whim, or boredom. He sat patiently outside her bedroom window; a frown plastered his face when he saw that Leaf male ninja coddling with _his_ Anko. He was extremely…displeased at the scene.

"Orochimaru…" she muttered sleepily, and the Snake Sannin smiled amusedly. He cradled one side of her face in the palm of her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. He stretched his free hand to the one of the two photos kept on the desk behind her bed, gripping the frame as he stared at it. The photo was of him and a younger Anko, as student and teacher. He smirked at the fact that his pupil still treasured this memory, despite the so-called hatred she directed towards him during their fight in the Forest of Death. She still prized their relationship, loved it and cherished it—cherished _him_. Some things never change, and that's how he wanted things to stay.

He placed the picture back down and pressed his lips down on hers for a ghost of a kiss. As their mouths joined, he felt Anko stirred a little. The violet-haired woman felt the contact of a man—of _him_ kissing her lips. Her eyes snapped out to meet the lucid darkness shrouding her room, but _he_ was not there. Orochimaru was already gone…or maybe he was never here to begin with. Was her mind playing tricks on her again?

Anko sighed tiredly, leaning back down on her and fell into sleep once more. The safety and bliss she felt before during her slumber offered her no more comfort that night. Outside her apartment, Orochimaru's smirk broadened, sparing one last gaze down at his dear girl, and then headed off into the shadows of the night. He has work to do, and couldn't afford to waste anymore time.

ஜ ~ ஜ

A week passed since the prelims were over, and everyone in the Leaf Village was bustling to finish the preparations of the third phase for the Chūnin Exams. And somewhere out there was Orochimaru, still planning against their village.

Anko sat on a green cushion in the Hokage Room, the meeting place where she and her fellow ninja sat down in front of the wooden U-shaped table Lord Hokage and the Leaf Council, that composed of the Hokage's advisors, _Homura_ Mitokado and _Koharu Utatane, sat in. _

_The snake kunoichi sat in between Kakashi and Kurenai, the Copy Ninja to her right and the crimson-eyed kunoichi to her left and by Kurenai's left was Asuma Sarutobi. At the back sat Might Guy and Ibiki, and in the front were Genma and _Raidō Namiashi, Genma's best friend.

As Lord Hokage spoke, his hat down on the table, his expression was grave. "Some of you may have not yet heard the news. The body of Hayate Gekkō was found near Kikyō _Castle._

_Shocked spread among the ninja at the news, and Asuma was the first one to speak. "What, Hayate…?_

_Kurenai shared the same disbelief. "H-He's dead…?"_

_Even Ibiki broke his stoic mask at the devastating information. "Unbelievable…"_

_However, Anko remained calm, suspicion swirling inside her head. Hayate was a talented shinobi; it was hard to be believed that he killed so easily by anyone. Piping up, Anko leaned slight forward in her seat, somewhat tensed. "This has to be Orochimaru's doing."_

_"As likely as that may seem, let's not jump to conclusions yet." The violet-haired woman pivoted her head to look at Kakashi at her side, sitting with his left leg raised up and his arm resting on it. "We think that Hayate was on a trail of a Sound Village spy named Kabuto. No doubt that Orochimaru is up to something, but we don't know for sure—"_

_"Well, I say cancel the _Chūnin Exams and go after Orochimaru." Raidō interrupted sharply.

Hiruzen disagreed. "No, I think not. He revealed himself to Anko and sent a warning _not _to cancel the exams. You see, these exams have brought together ninja from _every_ allied nation."

Homura turned his head to his old teammate. "What do you think it means?"

"There are two things we know about him: That he bears an abiding grudge against our Hidden Leaf Village and that his power is great. Perhaps great enough to crush a village on his own." Third Hokage replied, facing his advisor before shifting back to his shinobi in front of him. "Certainly great enough that any village would preferred to have him on their side rather than against them."

"Impossible!" Raidō exclaimed with anger laced tone. "No village in the alliance would betray another, and join forces with that _fiend_!"

As those words left his mouth, Anko's entire body stiffened. She could feel the Third Hokage's doubtful eyes locking with Anko's nervous ones. She twitched under the pressure she felt, so she looked down and shut her eyes, unable to bring herself to say or give a sign to deny what the wise old man was thinking.

"Well, the alliance treaty is only as binding as any verbal agreement," Kakashi stated, eliciting a jittery reaction from Raidō. "As we found out during the last Great Ninja War."

"In any case, until we're able to find out more, this is all just idle speculation." Lord Hokage told them, catching the ninja's attention back to him.

"We've dispatched ANBU Black Ops to every village to collect information. We would be fools to act so hastily." Koharu spoke up this time. "That might be just what our enemy is aiming for."

"And besides, I have complete trust in every one of you." The Third Hokage let a confident smile surfaced upon his face, his eyes drifting to one shinobi in the room to the next, all of them tensing slightly as his expression turned serious. "When and if the time comes, we will gather the strength of the Hidden Leaf Village, and fight if we must."

ஜ ~ ஜ

Hiruzen looked up each of the pictures of the Hokage that came before and after him, his gaze lingering the longest on the photo of the Fourth Hokage, his face stern as the rest of the others. He sat on a black sofa in the dimly lit room, his hat on the table. His expression was unreadable as his eyes shifted to the beautiful but sad woman behind him.

"Lord Hokage…" Anko addressed him quietly.

"What is it, Anko?" The old man swiveled his head to see her severe guilt-stricken face and sorrow optics. She came here—to him, with one purpose in mind. She doubt it would do any good, but she felt like she owed it to the person who had saved her sanity and helped her out of her broken shell with his tender compassion ever since Orochimaru abandoned her. They both stared at each other for moment before Anko spoke.

"I'm sorry, but I'm…"

Lord Hokage pivoted his head away from her, closing his eyes. He didn't need to hear the rest of her sentence to know why she was here before him. "You're what? Are you feeling guilty that you've returned _alive_ from the Forest of Death?"

"…" Anko hang her head down, not bothering to answer since it was clearly projected off her rueful face.

"There's no need for that," he continued, assuring her regretful emotions. "After all, you no longer have a connection to Orochimaru, right?"

"…" If only that was true, Anko wished, the remorseful look on her face deepened. The Curse Mark was the only thing binding her and her former master together. But it wasn't just that, her feelings—the part that had adored and idolized Orochimaru—still remained intact in her soul, bottled in the very depths of her heart.

"There's no ninja alive today in the Village Hidden Leaves who could ever even hope to defeat him." Hiruzen went on, his eyes staring down at his lap. "I myself probably would not be his equal."

Lifting her head ever so slightly up, Anko forced out the next words in a tight tone. "I wish…the Fourth Hokage was still alive."

"You shouldn't say such things. It's only because he sacrificed himself and died that our land was saved. Besides, that's all in the past. It's a story from thirteen years ago. He's gone, and we can't change that." Third Hokage reprimanded her softly, glancing back up to the picture of the hero of the Leaf Village. He stood up slowly from his seat as Anko watched him. "We must do what we can with what he have."

"…Yes, sir." she managed to utter out. Picking up his hat from the table, Hiruzen placed it on top of his head and put his smoking pipe into his mouth.

"Very well, I'm going out to get some fresh air." He didn't look at the snake kunoichi's face as he passed her up, but he stopped when he came by the door, his back still to her as she stared at him. "And, Anko, don't blame yourself."

The _shōji_ door slid opened and Lord Hokage walked out as Anko bowed down her head, silently thanking him for the kindness he had shown her, even though she knew she didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve his compassion, his forgiveness, or anything else. She was unworthy of such things. But deep down, Anko did earn it—she was worthy of it, she just couldn't see it like everyone else can. One day, she _will_ see that. Until then…she will have to live her life like she is now, seeing herself as a woman worthy of only disgrace.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Hey, Anko, wait up!" a male's voice called out to her eagerly. Pivoting around in the streets of the village, Anko allowed a small smile to appear on her face, in spite of the fatigue she felt. She was tired with so many things going today, about the news of Hayate and her meeting with the Third Hokage, and all she wanted to do now is sleep. Still, she didn't want her friends to worry about her, so she put on a brave front for them.

"Hey, Genma, what's up?" she asked her fellow Chūnin Exams proctor, his typical toothpick in his mouth. They started to walk down the streets together, both of their hands snuffed down in their pockets of their attire.

"Are you okay now?" he inquired her casually, a boyish smile on his face.

"Uh, yeah… Why wouldn't I be?" she questioned back, puzzled by his query.

The male Special Jōnin chuckled lightly. "You really don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?"

"Never mind, it's not important. I'll see you later." He waved goodbye to her and dashed in another direction before she could press him further for an answer.

"What was that about?" entered a new voice. Anko didn't have to look behind her to know the owner of that sound was. Instead, she frowned and started to stalk away from him.

"Leave me alone, Kakashi," she told him angrily, but he followed after her in his own steady pace.

"Hey now, don't be like that." She could hear the lazy smile in his voice. "What, are you still mad me for what happened back there during the preliminaries?"

"YES!" she yelled, turning her body to face him properly in her fit of anger, ignoring the strange looks she getting from the passing citizens on the streets. "You are a complete moron who doesn't know a thing about when handling a kid with a Curse Mark!"

"Now, now, no need to shout." he replied, trying his best to calm her.

"If anything happens to that kid, it's on you." She swiveled her heel and marched off back to her apartment, the Copy Ninja still trailing her. "Quit following me."

"Look, I just want to talk to you. Give me five minutes."

Her feet halted and she turned back to the silver-haired Jōnin, her arms crossed over her chest. "Fine, five minutes."

"I understand that you're concern about Sasuke, but you really need to calm down about this whole Orochimaru thing that's going on right now." he started, his hands in his pants pockets. "I know you're under a lot of stress right now, but being angry at me won't solve anything about Sasuke or Orochimaru."

"And do you suggest we do? Sit back idly and let Orochimaru have his way with the Uchiha?" she retorted crossly. "You don't know the power the Curse Mark holds, Kakashi. You can't possibly hope to."

"Anko, listen, I—"

"Three minutes."

"Sasuke's going to be fine, and there's no way we're going to let Orochimaru have his way," the Sharingan warrior pressed on with his speech. "But there isn't thing we do right now, we don't even know where—"

Anko pointed an accusing finger at him, cutting him off. "You should've listen to me and have Black Ops keep him under surveillance. He would've been protected. Don't you want to keep the boy safe?"

"Of course I do, but—"

"Time's up. I'm leaving." The violet-haired woman made a move to go, but Kakashi grasped onto her right wrist to stop her. She narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. "_Let go of me_."

The Copy Ninja sighed wearily at her fiery temper. "Anko, you really need to stop getting so personally invested in whatever that concerns Orochimaru." And with a little humor, he added, "Plus, it's also getting kind of creepy. Sasuke is _not_ Orochimaru."

"Thanks for the tip." she scoffed sarcastically, snatching her arm away him and stomping a few steps the streets angrily until she halted. Taking in a deep breath, she exhaled deep sigh as Kakashi eyed her patiently. "I know, all right? I'm just worried."

And with that, she proceeded down the streets in her irritated stride. The Copy Ninja breathed out wearily, covering his masked face with his right hand. "Good grief…"

ஜ ~ ஜ

When the assault from the Sound and Sand Villages came, Anko didn't take front lines to defend the Leaf Village. Rather, she helped the women and children evacuated inside the Hokage Monument. She wanted to be out there fighting against Orochimaru's troops and the traitorous Sand shinobi they were supposedly allied with, but she knew it was more important to get the citizens to safety. Not to mention she would be meet with agonizing pain if she were anywhere near where Orochimaru and the Third Hokage were facing off.

She could hear blades clashing and smelled the scent of tangy blood coming from the air where the carnage was taking place. When the noise quieted down, her heart was torn apart when she found her fellow shinobi gazing down sadly in loss at Hiruzen Sarutobi's corpse. He had sacrificed himself, just as the Fourth Hokage did in order to save the village with the Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal, by sealing the revived spirits of the First and Second Hokage, along with Orochimaru's arms within his old body.

They had won the fight against the Sound and the Sand, but they lost many lives at the hands of their enemies. The next day, the Third Hokage's funeral took place under the gloomy gray sky that hovered above the sad, damaged Leaf Village. Anko attended as well, dressed in a short black dress like the rest of the kunoichi at the funeral, paying her respects to the now deceased, but never forgotten, kind Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Overwhelming sorrow and loss weighed heavily in each and every shinobi's heart at the damage that was done upon their home. Even so, the ninja continued on with their missions, unable to refuse them. If the rest of the nations learned just how weak the Leaf Village had grown, more enemies would be on their way to destroy it.

When the news that the medical genius and only female Sannin, the brilliant Lady Tsunade, came home after some reluctance—with Shizune, her aide that carried the Sannin's pet pig, Tonton; Jiraiya, the Toad Sage and last of the Legendary Sannin; and of course, the number one hyperactive, knucklehead ninja, Naruto Uzumaki—everyone in the village rejoiced in happiness when the information spread that Tsunade was to be the Fifth Hokage, along with rumors that said that Tsunade and Jiraiya encountered a weakened Orochimaru on their way back and defeated him. It was only then when things started to look up for the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Anko was there with Kurenai during Lady Tsunade's inauguration as the Fifth Hokage, joy welling up in everyone's hearts as the Sannin pledged to protect the Leaf Village from now on. Most of the shinobi didn't show it under their placid expressions, including Anko herself, but they were glad that their village would return back to its former glory.

However, things took a turn for the worst when Sasuke Uchiha left the village to join Orochimaru to gain power to defeat the man who brutally slaughtered his clansmen, his older brother and only other Uchiha survivor, Itachi Uchiha, that was now part of a criminal organization that Orochimaru was belonged to, the Akatsuki.

Anko dreaded that news when she heard it, cursing Orochimaru for enticing Sasuke to him by using the Uchiha's passionate ambition to lure him into his poisonous trap. Anko felt somewhat responsible for the Uchiha's defection from the Hidden Leaf Village. She could've talked to boy or tried to stop him from going to her former sensei. It wouldn't have done any good, she decided, since the boy nearly killed the people he once called his friends, even the Nine-Tailed child, who had the most influence on him than anybody else.

It wasn't much of a shock to Anko, but she still had hoped that the Uchiha boy wouldn't go down the path of evil to obtain power just to avenge his clan. She loathed that Orochimaru had his way _again_, and she was powerless to stop him. One night after Sasuke left, the snake kunoichi prayed that there was still time for Orochimaru's goal to have the Sharingan in his possession would be stopped by someone soon, and she wished that she would be the person to do it.

ஜ ~ ஜ

**Next Chapter: **Anko must face the darkness in her past when she's called to lead a mission to a place she once visited with her former sensei, Orochimaru! Will facing the truth save the mission—or break her forever?


	3. Memories

Thunder rumbled in the distance and lightning flashed brightly, streaking its blots across the dark sky. The storm splattered down its raindrops onto the deserted streets of the Leaf Village, houses' rattling windows blocked out the booming sound that the raging tempest produced.

Inside her apartment, Anko shivered, her body coated with cold sweat, her messy bangs sticking to her forehead, her breaths were small and ragged that slipped past her parted mouth. The Curse Mark throbbed in her sleep, coursing its torment throughout her body, her heart jackhammering inside her chest painfully and eyes screwed shut as she endured the anguish she felt in her dream of _him_.

ஜ ~ ஜ

_She stood at the pier, the endless ocean stretched out before her, its waters glistening clearly under the shining sun and around the islands that inhabited the middle of the sea. The wind breezed through her and her violet hair softly, and she was enthralled as she admired the beautiful landscape around her. She was young, her innocent brown optics filled with wonderment._

"_**Where…?"**_

"_Where…?" _

_She, the older Anko, was there in her dream, her voice overlapping her younger self's._

"_**Where…?"**_

"_Where…?" _

"_**Am I…?"**_

"_Am I…?"_

_A sudden gust of wind floated at her, causing her to hide her eyes until it passed, her hair sweeping in her face. When it was gone, she smiled at man standing to her on the wooden pier._

"_Lord Orochimaru…"_

_Pale lips formed into a beautiful smile, directing it towards the girl who adored him with all of her heart. The image of that smile ended far too soon, vanishing into a void and was replaced by the sound of her agonizing cries. She was there one the ground, on her knees and panting heavily as sweat cascaded off her like a waterfall. The only exit closed in front of, snaring her in complete darkness. Outside, she could hear the sound of a lock clicking shut over her broken gasps for air._

_The excruciating pain took its course through her small body as she curled up into a tight ball and out, her nails scraping lines in the dirt beneath her, her chest feeling like it was being lit on fire, the flames emanating from the weird mark on her shoulder. She started to trashed and screamed and cried out, a cold chuckling vibrated in the air around her in sadistic glee. She couldn't bear it, she felt like she was going to die… She needed to get out, to escape from this pain—from…_

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko jolted up in her bed, awash in sweat and her eyes wide. She took in deep, measured gasps and pants to force oxygen down in her lungs. She cringed at the pain; clutching the Curse Mark as sweat tickled down her lithe form. Trembling in her bed as lightning cackled and flashed from outside, she knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep for a long time.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"What kind of disturbance?" Anko questioned the next morning, standing in front of the Fifth Hokage and her trusty aide, Shizune, who was holding Tsunade's pig, Tonton.

"Not sure." Tsunade admitted. "Some sort of creature has been terrorizing our neighbor, the Land of the Sea. They called it the 'Demon of the Ocean'."

Anko frowned to match the one that sent towards her by the Hokage, her heartbeat suddenly drumming too loudly for her liking. She didn't like it when the Hokage narrowed her hazel eyes at her as she brought her hands up to her face to cover half of it.

"What's wrong? You will go for me, won't you?" she inquired in a stern tone.

Anko flinched visibly at her shady, knowing voice. She hated to admit it, but she was intimidated by this woman. Anyone in their right mind would be afraid of her; she was one of the Legendary Sannin and possessed immense physical strength, but what scared Anko the most about the blond woman was that she could her as easily as Orochimaru could.

Collecting herself firmly, Anko straightened in front of the Hokage and Shizune, the aide's onyx eyes filled with concerned at her. "Yes, milady."

"Shizune." Tsunade snapped her assistant out her daze.

She jumped at her mistress's sharp tone, her eyes drifting on her mentor. "Uh, yes?"

"Give her the rundown."

"Oh, sure." Shizune nodded, displaying a map at Anko as she explained the mission. "The Land of the Sea is composed of islands of various sizes. Lately, vessels carrying monetary shipments have been coming under attack, their cargo plundered."

"All the people on board these ships claimed that the damage was done by this 'Demon of the Ocean'." Tsunade added in.

"And that's the mission, huh? You want me to find this thing and take it out, right?" Anko asked.

"Well, almost. There's a hair more to it than that."

"The Land of the Sea has no Hidden Village, not of its own." Shizune informed her. "So they've established a military alliance with their neighbor, the Land of Water. They make payments every month, but the ship carrying their latest installment was attacked by the Demon of the Ocean as well."

"I get it." Anko put a fisted hand to her chin thoughtfully, considering the situation's delicate problem. "To preserve their relationship with the Land of Water, the Land of the Sea will do whatever it takes to protect their next ship."

The Fifth Hokage nodded. "Bingo. Your mission is to safeguard the latest delivery and take out this 'demon'. Your support team has already been assembled, the rest I leave to you."

"Support team?" Anko repeated, puzzled. She was never used to working with other people. She'd much rather prefer to work alone, and she was capable of finishing any job once she take it.

A knock came at the door and Anko pivoted her head as Tsunade allowed her visitors to come in. "Enter."

"Hmm?" Anko blinked her eyes as they lay on familiar looking faces, three young Genin—two boys and one girl. When the boy with spiky blond hair and bright blue optics spotted her, he yelped in recognition and pointed an accusing finger at her.

"What the—? You're that psycho proctor from the Chūnin Exams!" he shrieked in alarm and fear.

Anko grinned at him sheepishly, the memories from the Chūnin Exams flooding back to her. "Hmm…Yeah, good times. Feels like it was only yesterday, doesn't it?"

The blond girl with the short ponytail pointed at her in surprised, a hand covering her mouth. "Anko Mitarashi-sensei…?"

"So what're you doing here?" Naruto inquired, frightened and prepared to rush out of the room if the snake kunoichi were to pull another scary stunt on him.

"Listen up!" Tsunade's authoritative voice interrupted them, drawing their attention back to her. "Your mission is as followed! Shino Aburame, Ino Yamanaka, Naruto Uzumaki! You three will be working as a team under Anko for this assignment. What she says goes!"

The two blond-haired Genin made a fuss over the combination of selection the Hokage made of the squad, but Tsunade quickly covered it up by saying she thought out the mission carefully and hand-picked all of them by deciding that their separate skills would fit perfectly for the mission. Although, both Shizune and Anko knew that wasn't exactly the case. There were only a few ninja available since they were already out doing other missions, and the village was shorthanded.

"Now put those abilities of yours to good use and get the job done!" the Fifth Hokage concluded.

The newly formed squad straightened themselves, answering her attentively. "Right!"

"Something here doesn't smell right." Naruto stated with his arms crossed over his chest in speculation, wiping the Hokage's sneaky, self-satisfied grin off her face as she sweat-dropped.

"Okay, you've got your marching orders. Zip it!" Anko came to the Hokage's defense, walking over to tug on Naruto's ear firmly.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow!" All right, all right!" he yelped in pain.

"Now then, let's get this show on the road!" the snake kunoichi declared with a smile, her other hand of her hip. "Go pack your gear and meet me at the front gate."

The other two Genin straightened at her command. "Roger!"

The Genin swiveled around as they made their way the door, with Naruto mumbling as he rubbed his sore ear, "Man, that really hurt…"

The purple-haired woman made a move to follow, but halted at the sound of Tsunade's call. "Anko!"

Anko stopped, but did not turn around to face her.

Tsunade brought her hands up to her chin again, her hazel eyes piercing at her back. "Be careful."

"Right." Anko replied after a short pause, and then left the room swiftly.

ஜ ~ ஜ

About 30 minutes later, Anko and her subordinates stood at the entrance gate in the Leaf Village with their backpacks strapped onto their bodies, Ino holding a book describing the creature they will be dealing with on their mission as the boys to read over her shoulders.

"'Demon of the Ocean has physical traits both human and fish-like.' What is this?" she inquired incredulously.

Naruto agreed with her. "These people need to have their eyes examined. Something like that doesn't exist."

"Not necessarily." Shino chimed in his usual stoic tone. "This could be ninja resorting to piracy with genjutsu at their disposal."

"Well, whatever. We still need to look into it, this problem's not solving itself." Anko told them cheerfully.

"Of course!" Ino nodded obediently. She was such a good girl.

Anko smiled, holding up one finger to the group. "All right, Mother Island's at the center of the Land of the Sea. Let's head to the nearest port town and charter a boat."

"Got it/All right!" The Genin nodded, Naruto being the most eager one.

"Okay! Let's set sail for the Land of the Sea!" he shouted in enthusiasm, pumping a fist in the air, Anko grinning at the boy's energetic personality. Though, the Yamanaka girl seemed annoyed at his 'gung-ho' attitude as they set off.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Back inside the Hokage Tower, Shizune placed the cup of hot green tea down on the desk she was carrying for her Hokage, who was sitting sideways in her chair while petting Tonton in her lap.

"Here you are." Shizune looked at her mistress curiously. Tsunade knew what her aide wanted to ask about Anko from sensing her hesitation from earlier. It was one of the reasons why Shizune was such a good assistant; it was because she was a good observer. "So… Um, Lady Tsunade…?"

"Hmm?" The blond woman lifted her head to look at her student.

"About Anko, I was wondering…" Shizune stammered, having a hard time finding the right words to say. "I mean… Well, did something happen in the past?"

"Sort of." Tsunade sipped her tea as Shizune picked up Anko's file from her desk and flipped through the pages.

"Wait a second. This file… These are her mission records from age ten and on, they're so fragmented." the younger medic stated in surprised at the black lines crossing out sections in the book.

"Anko was one of Orochimaru's students once, remember?" Tsunade reminded her, taking another sip from her tea.

"So the passages blacked out are connected to Orochimaru's activity, so they correspond to confidential files."

The blond woman placed her tea down on the table, stroking her pet's back again. "Well, some of them."

Shizune became bewildered. "Huh?"

"For parts of it, we have no record at all." Tsunade answered calmly.

"No record at all?" her aide repeated, shocked. "Even for the entire period she was here in the village?"

The Sannin sighed deeply, leaning against her chair. "That Orochimaru… He must not have wanted to anyone to know what he was doing." Hazel eyes turned to look outside the village, staring into the white clouds in the blue sky. "When he left the village, he was careful to erased sections of Anko's memory."

Knowing that information, there will be questions regarding Anko's reliability to the village. Having a connection to Orochimaru was something people would try to avoid from getting into trouble, and Anko had a deeper relationship with the Snake Sannin than anyone else. The Third Hokage trusted and respected her, as did Tsunade. However, seeing Anko's reaction going to a place where went with former sensei, the Slug Princess couldn't help but wonder if sending Anko there was the right move to make on her part.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Ahh… Smell that ocean air!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, enjoying the sight of the beautiful watery environment around them from the cliff they were standing at. It gave them a good view of the town they arrived in, as well as the ocean and the bright sun. Seagulls could be heard above their heads as they took in the salty breeze.

"Well, we made it, you guys. Feast your eyes on the Land of the Sea!" Anko relished at the sight of the gorgeous view of the land.

"So is that Mother Island, then?" Ino pointed to largest island in the center of the sea. At the moment her eyes saw that island, a sudden gust of cold wind hurled at her and through her soul. All the warmth she felt before was extinguished, her mouth gapped open and eyes wide as visions of a shrine gate crossed her mind. She curled her fingers into tight fists, her teeth shaking as they chattered against each other, the Curse Mark pulsing its fiery torment inside her body once more.

Memories flooded back to her, swirling in her head like she was in the middle of a tornado. She saw an image of her panting heavily as she ran down a forest path as fast as she could, her head pivoting back to see the snakes closing in on her. The visions kept shifting swiftly from one thing to the next: the shrine appeared again, then pictures of herself standing in a dark corridor with her head down, followed horrid images of bottled filled green liquid with organs and other weird things inside made her stomach lurched in disgust.

Anko gasped, choking for air when she realized she couldn't breath anymore. She covered her mouth with a hand in an attempt to calm herself down. _What is this feeling coming over me…?_

Her eyes were too wide with terror, her body trembling violently. She felt cold all over, despite the sun's warm rays shining down of her. She sensed the Aburame boy watching her, observing cautiously. The snake kunoichi then pulled herself together quickly, not wanting anyone to see her weakness and the fear she felt at the moment.

"Hey, guys," She put on a normal, happy face and tone for the Genin. "Just go on ahead, will ya? See if you can rustle up that boat."

"Ah… Yeah, but, Sensei…" Ino wanted to protest, but was interrupted.

"I have some business to take care of, I'll catch up with you as soon as I'm done. Back in a bit!" And then she was gone, jumping out the sight and into the forest before she heard the Genin's shouts to stop. Anko leaped off a tree branch and landed against the tree trunk, clutching her neck tightly as perspiration broke out on her face.

_This Curse Mark is killing me! This presence… There's no question. _Anko glanced around the area and chose the direction where she felt was the strongest. _This way!_

She staggered down the path; her feet feeling like it could give out any moment. The snake kunoichi stumbled through the light beyond the trees, and came the edge of a cliff with a clear view of islands the Land of the Sea was composed of. Her eyes gazed at them intensely, and then she looked down below and saw a wooden pier that shocked her enough to have more pain and memories rushing back to her, her heartbeat increasing its pace and volume. She was drowning in her memories again, but there weren't as bad as the one before… They were almost…

ஜ ~ ஜ

_A young Anko stood at a pier in Land of the Sea, her sensei by her side. She giggled lightly at the sight of small islands and a large one in the middle of the sea._

"_I know which ones are which. Lemme see, that's one Mother Island, that's Taro, and that's one Jiro Island." She named out at the islands with her finger, pausing for a moment—with a finger to her lips—until she pointed at the last one. "And uh… That's one Demon Island!"_

_The man next to her smiled. "Certainly done your homework, haven't you?"_

_Young Anko let out a warm laugh as she gazed at the man she admired most in the world happily. "Yeah, well, I kinda have to, right? If I wanna be a shinobi with strength and wisdom like you!"_

_Orochimaru grinned down at her and chuckled, making her smile broadened in joy, relishing at the adoration she held for him._

ஜ ~ ஜ

The wind blew at her again; her eyes still enlarged at the memory that she had once cast aside. This place… It was the place where she and her sensei parted ways, going down their own paths. Terrible feelings welled up inside her; her survival instincts telling her that danger were soon to come. The snake kunoichi continued to stare at the islands in a daze, her mind lost in her racing thoughts.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko wasn't able to rejoin with her Genin at the port until it was nearly nightfall, and she saw the Nine-Tailed boy stepping down the stone staircase to his two comrades. Something told her that he managed to get separated from Ino and Shino, judging by the way the blond girl was rebuking him with an accusing finger. Anko edged in closer to listen.

"Boy, you and our squad leader are two of a kind, you know that? You both just vanish at the drop of a hat!" she complained, slightly angry at the blond boy, placing her hands on her hips. She then sighed in exasperation. "No getting around it, we've got a bumpy road ahead of us."

"Say what?" Naruto was profoundly offended by her comment, his right hand balled into a fist and optics wide as saucers as he yelled angrily, "You can't lump me into the same category as that screwball! She's certifiably insane!"

Smirking to herself, Anko snuck behind the boy quietly and slide one arm around Naruto's shoulders while holding a kunai to his neck, her tongue darting out to lick her lips in excitement that made the boy tensed in discomfort and fear. "Who're we talking about?"

The boy sweat-dropped; quite uncomfortable since her kunai was so close to his jugular. "Oh, well, I…uh…"

_This lady is one loose cannon! _Ino thought as she sweat-dropped as well while Anko saw the boat she and Shino were able to procured.

"Hey, good job securing us a boat, by the way." she praised the two, still hovering her kunai closely to a shaken Naruto.

"S-Sensei," Ino began nervously. "Where in the world have you been?"

"Aw, just off gathering a little information." She pulled the kunai from the Nine-Tailed boy, who sighed in relief that his life was spared. The snake kunoichi grinned broadly at her Genin, her face shining exuberantly. "Okay, is everybody ready?"

ஜ ~ ஜ

"It's getting dark." Ino remarked as she down beside Shino, her elbows on her knees and her hands cupping her face. Naruto was at the back of the boat, steering the oar with the violet-haired woman in front of him, and was sitting directly across from the other two Genin.

"We'll be at the island pretty soon," Anko assured her. "Just a bit further."

"Sounds good to me! Mother Island full steam ahead, everybody!" Naruto exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Sun's down, you know." the Yamanaka girl told him, her eyes closed. "Seriously, where do you get all your energy from?

"Yeah, well, at times like this, your state of mind is key." Naruto replied with a grin.

The blond girl sighed exhaustedly, her blue eyes opening. "Sakura's got her hands full. I feel so bad for her."

Anko chuckled at the two Genin's banter. She had to admit it, they've grown on her even though they only been together for only a few hours. These kids were cute and funny, and when she was around them, she could almost imagine herself a happy, cheerful child again.

Then abruptly, the boat started to fumble, Anko jerking forward as it came to a shaky halt. Naruto had some difficulties trying to move the oar, claiming they might've hit against some rocks, and the Aburame boy stood up from his seat and carefully made his way to help his comrade.

"Eyes front, guys! We've got trouble!" Anko ordered, pointing ahead as she saw they were about to head inside a whirlpool. "Change course, hurry!"

"Easer said than done!" Naruto grunted as he tried to pull the oar.

"The oar is jammed!" Shino stated dreadfully.

"Let me help you." Ino offered, wobbling over to help the boys when all of sudden something came out from the water and snatched her away from them. It looked like some sort of tentacle. "Whoa—Ahh!"

"Striking Shadow Snake!" The snake kunoichi directed one of arms out, serpents sprouting from underneath her coat sleeve and slithering in the air in an attempt to catch the blond child away from her captor. Anko cursed her luck when Ino was dragged down in the ocean, and she had to jump in to retrieve her. When she emerged from the water, dripping wet with an unconscious Ino her arms, she saw Naruto and Shino standing up the water like she was, watching the boat being pulled inside the whirlpool. "Huh, showing himself so soon."

"Man, that was a close call." Naruto said, watching the whirlpool dissolve.

"Careful, you two, we're being targeted from underwater." she warned the boys, her optics narrowing when she felt something approaching them. She turned to Shino, giving Ino gently into his arms while Naruto was off yelling at a couple of toads he summoned that was proving useless in this fight. It was time _she_ took action. "Shino, you kept an eye on her."

"Okay." He nodded, securing the blond girl in his arms. Anko dashed swiftly across the surface of the water, allowing the tentacle from before to shoot out and wrapped around her waist as she jumped into the air.

"All right." She smirked when it took the bait. She made the Tiger hand sign, holding down her breath until she released an enormous from her mouth, letting it trailed down the tentacle. _Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!_

The fire swirled in a blazing dance as Anko plopped down back onto the water, narrowing her brown eyes when the flames cleared and she saw a silhouette of a man that dissolved into water.

_A Water Clone? _She wondered as something else coiling around her neck, a shinobi with brown hair and glasses coming up from behind her. She gripped onto his extendable arm, trying to yank it off her.

"You let your guard down!" he cackled smugly, but was quickly kicked away when Naruto came to her aid. The Nine-Tailed boy was then dragged down by another shinobi, and Anko dive in the water, frantically searching for him and their attacker.

_Where did it go? _She thought, making a 'tch' sound as her eyes peered through the murky water. _There's no visibility down here._

When she submerged from the water, she saw the shinobi from earlier standing next to another glasses wearing ninja, looming over an unconscious Naruto, who was floating facedown in the water.

"What's going on?" she demanded angrily, Shino kneeling on the water with the still unconscious Ino. She heard the two shinobi chuckled. "Who're you?"

Their attackers merely ignored her, creating a series of hand signs before another whirlpool appeared and sucked Naruto down in it.

"Ah, great…" Anko sarcastically muttered under her breath. "That complicates things a bit."

The Aburame boy looked on, worried about his friend. "Naruto…"

Anko continued to search in the sea for Naruto for who knows long, and when she popped up, she was in the water a few several feet from where Shino was standing in the boat that they managed to get back.

"Any sign of Naruto?" he asked.

Anko shook her head. "I looked, but I can't find him."

"I see…"

"He must be pretty far away by now. Either he drifted away or swam off." She climbed back onto the boat, her arms folded across her chest, her eyes gazing down at the still-unconscious Ino. "Anyway, with the fog as thick as it is, there's no reason to stick around and keep looking. Let's find the closest shoreline and start again when it clears."

"Fine." Shino replied briefly, his voice still nonchalant, although he was concerned where his comrade drifted off to.

The Curse Mark throbbed for some reason then, and Anko tensed at the searing pain, trying her best not to cry out loud as she clutched the mark over her coat. It was almost like she could feel _him_ close by, just like the last time.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Somewhere else on Demon Island, a single candle flickered, illuminating the dark room with an eerie, oppressive atmosphere. A man with sea-green hair in a white lab coat knelt before the main sitting in the throne-like chair in front of him, bowing his head at lord and master.

"It's been far too long, Lord Orochimaru." Amachi stated, his eyes to the cold floor.

"Indeed it has," came the snake's honey-like voice. "How fortunate that I dropped by and happened to find you still here."

"I'm lucky, for now I have the opportunity to stand in your presence once again." the scientist said in a flattering manner.

The Snake Sannin chuckled ominously. "And I assume the reason you remain here is that you're continuing our research."

"I am." Amachi lifted his head slightly up, seeming to feigned surprise. "I still believe that someday that it'll be very useful to you, sir."

"I certainly hope so." Orochimaru hissed through his bandaged-up face, his only visible golden eyes gazing down at the kneeling man, seeing through the man's pathetic façade of loyalty.

"Of course, I only continue out of loyalty to you."

The Sannin chortled slightly, shutting his exposed eye disinterestedly. "Well, carry on. Do as you wish."

"I'm grateful, my lord." Amachi bowed his head once more, glancing up when he saw the young man standing on his lord's right. "By the way, is he the one you spoke of before?

"Yes, the younger brother of Itachi Uchiha." Orochimaru turned his head to look at the irritated, silent Uchiha child.

"Really?"

"Yes, and also my—"

"Some things are better left unsaid." Sasuke interrupted acidly, his eyes snapping open to revealed his bloodshot Sharingan, glaring in fury at the man kneeling in front him and his mentor. He despised that his loathsome brother's name was mentioned in his presence.

Orochimaru observed the boy from the corner of his eye as his subordinate gasped in fear at the Sharingan and immediately averted his head back down the floor, secretly gritting his teeth at the two men before him. The Snake Sannin chuckled amusingly at his protégé; unknown that him that his old student's Curse Mark was flaring in response as his cold laugh echoed in room and the candle promptly blew out.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko and met with the man in charged with latest shipment at the Shiragiku (White Chrysanthemum) Inn with Ino and Shino at her side when dawn came. They were still worried about Naruto's location, and had informed the local authorities on their missing comrade.

"I am the ship's financial administrator. Welcome, my name is Hitode." the bearded, bald-headed old man greeted respectfully. "I am well aware of the situation. Your colleague is missing and I'm sure you're very worried about him."

"Yes, have you gotten any information at all about where he is?" Anko pressed urgently, sitting across the small wooden table with Ino and Shino behind them on a purple cushion like her. She spoke professionally to the officer in charge over a cup of tea; the man's subordinates were also in the room.

"Unfortunately, I have received no reports yet from _any_ shipwreck survivors."

The snake kunoichi hang her head down, equally disappointed as the two Genin behind her. "I see…"

"That's not all the bad news." Hitode announced, Anko's head shooting up at the grim sound of his voice. "I'm sorry, but the schedule for our ship delivering the money has been moved up."

"You're leaving earlier?" she inquired in surprised.

"Our new departure is scheduled for tomorrow morning. My apologies for such a late notice." The old man cast his face downward, his eyes grave. "As you can imagine, the relationship with Land of Water is fragile. Hence the decision was made to push up our departure forward."

Anko closed her eyes, comprehending the situation. "We understand. Even so, we need to spend as much time here as possible trying to find our teammate."

Hitode nodded. "Of course."

"Good. Then we will meet your ship tomorrow at the port for guard duty, with or without him." Anko replied back.

The old man bowed at gratefully. "Thank you for your cooperation. One thing more."

"Yes?"

"As you can see, our nation is not a wealthy one. And recently, the fishermen of our land have been especially nervous about this Demon of the Ocean." He bowed his head once more to Anko, his men joining in this time. "Anything you could do would be greatly appreciated."

"We'll it our all." Anko promised with a determined face.

After the meeting, Anko and the two Genin head out to question the villagers around the area for any sign of their friend. Well, at least Ino and Shino. Anko came by the cliff again, her hands snuffed down in her coat pockets as she stared intently at rocky view of Demon Island, her mind elsewhere. She got an odd feeling coming from that place, something familiar that bothered her.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Back in the Hidden Leaf Village, Tsunade was so absorbed in the file she was reading on her desk, that she didn't hear Shizune shouting her name and ignored the mountains of paper waiting for her to complete.

"Lady Tsunade! Lady Tsunade!"

"Huh?" The Fifth Hokage looked up at her assistant.

"Ugh… I brought you that information you requested." Shizune's eyes drifted down to the file on her mistress's desk. "Ah… Is that about the Land of the Sea? So, you are worried, after all."

"Mmm-hmm…" Tsunade replied, gazing down at the snake kunoichi's picture in the file. "You see, when Orochimaru abandoned Anko, she was found in the Land of the Sea."

ஜ ~ ஜ

_Anko sat in the center of the interrogation room on a brown chair, Tsunade and the Third Hokage standing behind her as the medic tried to question her about what had happened to her when the ANBU Black Ops found her on the shore at the Land of the Sea. Glowing green marks surrounded her, lighting the dark room dimly._

"_It's no use…! I don't remember anything! I should know this, but everything… It was dark, empty. My body was so in much pain…" The traumatized child clutched her head, struggling to remember until she started to cry, her hands covering her scared eyes. "I can't…"_

"_Just calm down. Take as much time you need to think." the medic told her, kneeling down on the floor._

"I'm not even sure I even got this weird while I was there…" She trembled and sobbed, grasping the Curse Mark on her neck.

_The doctor turned to the Hokage. "The damage is deep. Everything she knew may have been erased."_

_The old man walked slowly to the weeping girl, placing a warm, comforting hand on her shaking shoulder. He knelt down next to her, a kind smile blooming on his face. "Rest easy. I know you must've been through quite an ordeal."_

"_I..." Anko started, but was unsure on what to say._

"_It's going to be fine." Third Hokage assured her, flashing her another gentle smile. "Don't worry about remembering. Our priority is treating the Curse Mark before it gets worse."_

"_Lord Hokage, I'm…" the young girl whimpered, a tear dripping down on her face, and she brought her hand up to wipe it away._

ஜ ~ ஜ

"She never did remember anything. Even to this day, part of Anko's memories is simply gone." Tsunade finished the story, closing the file shut.

"So that's what happened." Shizune stated, astounded by the tale. "And this mission is the first time Anko had set foot in the Land of the Sea since she went through all of that?"

The blond woman brought her hands to her chin, her hazel eyes laced in concerned. "Yep, that's right. I had hoped this trip might bring back some of her lost memories, but…"

ஜ ~ ஜ

It was nearly dusk by the time Anko had regroup with Ino and Shino, the blond girl giving her a thumb-ups in joy when she debriefed her about the girl who was supposedly 'spirited away' to Demon Island, and was the only one to return. She hopped through the trees with the Genin following her as the snake kunoichi progressed the story in her head.

"Interesting… So she's only person who ever came back after disappearing."

"Yeah, that's why I figured we should at least go check it out." Ino responded.

Shino agreed. "She may have some useful information about Demon Island."

"Hold it." Anko stopped on a branch and held out her arm, signaling the others to stop. They looked through their hiding spots to see a girl walking along the sore of a beach, near a cove.

Ino moved closer to see it was the girl that they were searching, but was confused why she doing all the way out here. "What, it's her?"

Anko held up a hand, pushing her back before the Yamanaka child could jump and revealed herself before the bandaged-up girl.

"What do we do now?" she inquired her squad leader.

"Let's find out where she's headed."

"She's cautious." Shino noted when he saw the girl glancing around for anyone who may be nearby.

"Let's follow, but make sure she doesn't see us." Anko ordered, jumping down below as the Genin followed suit. They hid behind some rocks as they watched the girl carefully until she entered widow peak-shaped cave. The Leaf ninja crept in after her, finding themselves in an enclosed space opening to the ocean. The girl stepped in the water, her bandages flying off her body as her skin transformed into a scaly green colored with sharp fangs and fins.

"Look at those features!" Ino exclaimed, startled by the other girl's appearance. "So you must be the Demon of the Ocean!"

The fish-like girl swiveled her head when she heard their arrival, growling before she leapt into the water and swam away from them. Anko was still at her spot, stunned as memories rushed at the back of her brain. She saw images of a girl floating in a tank with green water.

"What the…?" The Curse Mark pulsated again, and Anko grabbed at her neck at the pain that was more intense than previous one. Her pupils were wide as she watched the mutated girl swim off as the Genin chased her, her eyelids closing slowly as she drowned in her memories.

ஜ ~ ஜ

_A young Anko stood in front of the huge tank containing a strange-looking girl with long hair, her optics enlarged with fear and shock. Behind her, her sensei and another man stood, staring down at her. The room was dark with a sickly green glow, its spaces occupied by other containments and tubs holding some of monstrosity in them._

_She blinked, unable to take her eyes away from the helpless girl in the tube. "B-But, Lord Orochimaru…"_

"_I'm going to teach you something very special today. This is one of the secret chambers where I develop jutsu." The Snake Sannin informed, indicting the tank in front of them. "I was hoping you would help me with this specimen, my dear."_

_Anko swiveled around to face her teacher, a worried expression plastered on her youthful face. "But, if the villagers knew about this—"_

_She was cut off by when her sensei placed an assuring hand on her shoulder, his golden eyes gazing down at her, ominous just the smile he gave her. _

"_This one isn't going quite as smoothly as I planned. Only one more step and she's done. Don't be silly, little one. There's nothing you should be afraid of." He caressed her face gently with the back of his hand, her eyes tracking it and then back at her beloved sensei. Normally, such affectionate gesture would make her feel better, but not this time. "There's only thing we ever need fear, and that's neglecting our duty to pursue this kind of knowledge."_

_Anko turned back the tank, still frightened at the sight of floating, fish-like girl. She was torn between pleasing her sensei and the uneasy feeling her consciousness told her to go against him. She wondered when there would ever be a day when her sensei will look at her the same way like the girl in the watery cage._

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Could it be the same girl…?" the snake kunoichi pondered out loud, still shocked. Ino managed to stop the Demon of the Ocean by using a Paper Bomb on a kunai to destroy the rock arc the sea creature was heading for. Shino pinned her into the water by entangling wire strings around her body. The situation became complicated when Naruto finally found them, and he recognized the girl by the name Isaribi.

The girl—Isaribi… She broke out from the wires and the one of the two shinobi that attacked Anko and her crew yesterday appeared. The violet-haired woman, still grasping at her Curse Mark and panting in pain, slowly moved to join the others on the surface of the water. When the mysterious male shinobi made a hand sign to use the water to escape with Naruto's supposedly friend, the Uzumaki boy ran up to them.

"Don't chase that guy too far! Remember yesterday!" Anko yelled after him, stopping Naruto from going any further as the duo vanished from sight. Visions of that girl from the tank hit her mind again. "No question about it… That was her…"

The Curse Mark flared and the anguish overcame Anko, forcing her to collapse facedown into the water as she passed out.

"Sensei!" Ino shouted in alarm as she knelt beside her fallen squad leader.

ஜ ~ ஜ

_Anko was watching her younger self through her memory, staring up at that girl in the tank again in that dark room with fascination and terror. The scene changed when she saw herself on her bed, her back against the blood-covered wall, various scrolls and books littering the wooden floor. In the center, there was lamp burning brightly in her room. _

She gazed at the flame with her knees curled up her chest, her arms hugging them tightly. The sight of the mutated girl disturbed her, and she sought peace in her room. She was alone, her sensei off conducting experiments with Amachi or something. Wanting to take her mind off it, she headed to the kitchen, letting the faucet run over the bowl of lab containers and tubes. If she were to do something, her mind would be focused on that task rather than the girl in the tank.

_She turned the handle off and picked a mortar bowl from the sink, wiping it until it slipped out of her hand and shattered into pieces on the floor, much to her dismay. She knelt down to pick up the mess before her sensei could see the clumsy mess she made, careful not to cut herself with the sharp edges._

"_What happened?" a voice came from behind her._

_Anko gasped quietly and she turned her head to see her teacher standing there, a sense of anxiety rippling through her. "Uh… I'm very sorry, it just slipped outta my hand."_

"_Ah." His amber eyes narrowed at her, and she his a frown on his face, knowing that he was aware of her new fear of him. She averted her away, not wanting to meet his scary gaze._

_She picked up the last piece of the broken bowl and stood up. "I'll get this clean up right away."_

"_Anko." He halted her when she moved swiftly to the door._

_Almost reluctantly, she stopped and pivoted around to see him. "Yes?"_

"_The work I've been doing here… The Hokage already knows about." He gave her a small smile, trying to reassure his student of her fright._

"_Understood…" she replied in a meek tone, unsure whether or not she should believe him. Some feeling she had in her gut told her that he was lying as she left the kitchen._

_Orochimaru stared silently as he watched his student retreated from him quickly, the frown of his face deepened harshly before he swiveled back to his lab._

ஜ ~ ஜ

When Anko twitched as she came to, she could hear the Genin arguing around her heatedly about the girl, Isaribi, and the fact she was the Demon of the Ocean, as well as whether they should go after her and continue on with their mission to protect the next shipment in the morning.

"I'd overheard something. There's an island out here that's at the heart of all of those people taken away by spirits." Shino told Naruto.

"So where do we find it?" he asked impatiently.

"It's a barren crag where the Demon of the Ocean lives: Demon Island." Anko answered, alerting her team of her awakening.

"Demon Island?"

"Oh, Sensei, you're up. Are you feeling all right?" Ino questioned her with worried.

The snake kunoichi sat up, her coat around her shoulders. "Yeah, I am. But forget about me, there's something I need to tell you guys about the demon. This isn't some sea creature we're dealing with. Our demon was made in a lab, it used to be human."

This evoked a surprised reaction from everyone.

"Huh?" Ino gasped.

Naruto was the most confused, making sure what he heard was right. "What did you say? It used to be a human? What're you talking about?"

"A good number of people did mysteriously vanish in the Land of the Sea ten years ago, but it wasn't because of any demon. They were being snatched up and used as test subjects in experiments conducted by Orochimaru." She spat out his name like venom, her eyes imbued with hatred.

"Orochimaru…!" Naruto snarled at the man's name that stole his best friend away from him. "So you're telling me _he's_ mixed up in this somehow?"

"I don't understand, though." Ino said, puzzled. "Orochimaru and experiments—Where is all of this coming from?"

Anko sighed as she began telling the story. "I think I better start at the beginning, back when he left the village. More than ten years ago, Orochimaru's lust for knowledge and power became so insatiable that he gradually exceeded the normal limitations of a shinobi, and began experimenting with Forbidden Jutsu. Of course, this all became common knowledge in the Leaf Village. But his missions have taken him far and wide in this world. The Hidden Leaf Village wasn't the only place he had a research facility set up."

"And one of those is hidden on Demon Island, I take it." Shino guessed correctly.

"So, the people who disappeared..." the Yamanaka girl trailed off, afraid of the answer.

"Human guinea pigs…" the Aburame confirmed it her, his voice dreadful.

"Ah…!"

"That psychotic lunatic!" Naruto growled, his fingers curling into a fist in rage. "What the heck does he think people are?"

Anko was pleased with the reaction of the Genin, all of them—especially the Nine-Tailed—agreeing they would go and help the Demon of the Ocean girl.

"Sounds like a plan!" Anko stood up with a satisfied smile. "Let's pay the Demon of the Ocean a visit, shall we?"

The team set off when they able to obtain another boat from the docks. Naruto was at the oar again, rowing it vigorously closer to Demon Island. Anko sat against the side of the boat between Shino and Ino.

"So, Sensei, how exactly do you know so much about this Demon Island, anyway?" Ino asked curiously.

"Orochimaru was the Jōnin I trained under back in the day," she confessed, shame washing over her as she saw the startled expressions on the Genin's faces. She closed her eyes to shut them out. "Tell me when we get close to the island."

The Curse Mark throbbed at that moment, the torment worse than before as they got closer to Demon Island. The snake kunoichi gritted her teeth to prevent herself from screaming out her suffering. _The pain is getting worse…!_

ஜ ~ ஜ

In the dark room where Orochimaru stayed, the Sannin lifted his head when he felt a familiar presence approaching. He knew this chakra… It was sweet, dear old student. But what she doing here?

"Someone draws near," he said to Amachi and Sasuke.

"So, what do you think we should do?" the scientist inquired.

"I leave that to you."

"All right." Amachi nodded, leaving the dark room, not being unable to hide his sneer from his 'master'. Orochimaru chuckled to himself, pleased that his old pupil still had some use to her, after all. She'll be able to clean up his troublesome subordinate for him, like the good girl she was. He contemplated whether he should stay and greet her, but he decided against it, since it was time he left this place with his future vessel.


	4. The Truth

Anko and the others were able to sneak in the hideout when they arrived at Demon Island, thanks to the assistance of Shino's bugs. They stepped down the stone staircase, watching their steps in the dark tunnels. Naruto took point while Anko was in the rear, one hand in her coat pocket as they made their way down the steps.

She loathed coming back to place where all her nightmares originated, but it couldn't be helped. They came upon a door and swung it open, an eerie green light hitting their eyes as they entered. Anko stood at the doorway when the Genin walked closer to the tubs filled with her former sensei's hideous experiments. A trap door in the floor sprung opened and tumbled down the Genin went, their location unknown, but Anko knew that they would be all right.

The Demon of the Ocean—Isaribi, came from the corner and was then held in place as Anko crept behind the girl, a kunai to her bandaged neck.

"Easy. You're in a tight spot now, huh?" she smirked at the girl who was watching her from the corner of her onyx eye. "You should've never messed with shinobi from the Hidden Leaf."

Isaribi smiled slyly, allowing her neck to push toward the kunai as her bandages ripped. Anko pulled back slightly, not wanting to hurt the girl. Although that decision was bordering dangerously on wanting to when the child took the opportunity to flip Anko across the room and towards the largest tank.

"You little…!" The violet-haired woman hurled four kunai knives at her, but they embedded themselves in the door as Isaribi escaped through it. Anko made a 'tch' sound and pivoted around when she heard the sound of a section of the wall behind her started to rise. Three huge, mutated creatures that were a mixed of a lion and serpent came out, growling hungrily and baring their vicious fangs at her.

"Well, isn't this adorable? You kitties wanna play?" Anko smirked playfully, sweeping her tongue across the edge of her kunai knife, her bloodthirsty side taking over.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko abandoned the room after she had fun trashing and breaking the furry enemies down—broken tubes and glasses splayed all over the floor with their blood—and was now staggering down the hallway when the Curse Mark took its affliction upon her body again. She clutched the Curse Mark with her left hand when it became too painful for her to endure, using her right hand to support herself a she slowly walked down the corridor, going where the Curse Mark's power kept growing stronger and stronger.

She lifted her head when she saw a door up ahead, creaking it open slightly with her back pressed against the wall as she peaked inside, her optics catching the silhouettes of two figures in the room—one standing up and one sitting down in a throne-like chair. She smirked at her success. _Found him…!_

She walked in confidently, prepared to face her old sensei with no sign of weakness or pain. This wasn't going to end up the way it did back in the Forest of Death. This time for sure, she will kill him.

However, as she got closer, she realized that the person in the chair was not Orochimaru. "What the…?"

The man from the chair stood, and stepped closer to her into the light, his face emerging from the shadows. The scientist smiled creepily. "Welcome, or should I say long time no see?"

"What's going on here?" Anko's eyes widened, the memory of the medical ninja flashing back into her mind. "Amachi?"

"I have to admit, I'm a little surprised that you've return after all that happened back then." He told her casually.

"What're you talking about?" Anko demanded, frustrated.

"You mean you don't remember?" he smirked tauntingly at her.

"Look, I don't have to time to waste on you, okay? Where is Orochimaru?" she shouted.

Amachi feigned surprised, acting dumbfound. "Orochimaru?"

The violet-haired woman saw right through it. "Cut the act! He's here now, isn't he?" She grimaced when she felt another wave of pain radiated off the Curse Mark, her hand grabbing on it.

"So, the Curse Mark's acting up even after he split." Amachi shrugged, his hands in his pants pockets. "I wouldn't have guessed that was possible. Well, you're half right, anyway. Orochimaru was here, but that was well over two weeks ago at this point."

"I don't believe you…" Anko denied it softly, her hand still grasping her Curse Mark.

The medical ninja smirked cruelly. "Believe whatever you want, it doesn't matter to me."

"So you mean to tell me the pain I'm feeling right now is from him being here close to a full month ago?" Anko asked, her expression incredulous.

"Just a minute!"

"Sensei!"

The door to the room swung open and ran in Naruto and Ino.

"Hey, glad you could make it." Anko looked at the Genin, inwardly relieved that they were all right, and knew that the Aburame boy was probably close behind them.

"Well, well, you brought Genin." Amachi commented. "Look at you, you're all grown up now, Anko."

"Who is this clown?" Naruto questioned with an angry growl.

"Meet Amachi, he's a medical ninja who's teamed up with Orochimaru and conducts research here." Anko replied, glaring at the man in front of them. "His master's not around, though. This whole rigmarole is Amachi's doing."

"So he's behind it all!" the Nine-Tailed boy snarled at him. "You and your crazy experiments are finished, pal!"

"Crazy?" Amachi yelled back, offended that someone insulted his work. "This isn't a joke! I've devoted my entire life to this research!"

Naruto scoffed. "Research, huh?"

The scientist gestured to Isaribi that was standing behind him. "Look here! This girl is capable of adapting to an aquatic environment. Combining the ability to breathe under water with advanced strength and agility. It's always been my dream: a ninja corps for underwater warfare, and this girl here is the first step!"

"A ninja corps for underwater warfare?" Ino repeated in disbelief.

"That's right! A unparallel military force that can move freely on both land and sea!" Amachi rambled on insanely. "Once I've done, we'll spread across the nations and take complete control over marine shipping routes! Astounding, isn't it? With that kind of strength, the world will kneel before me and Orochimaru will rue the day he abandoned my work, but it'll be too late!"

"These people you're talking about, they're not your tools!" Naruto hollered in fury.

"Oh, that's shame. I figured someone your age would grasp the importance of my work." The medical ninja seemingly disappointed Naruto's response to his speech, but he brushed it off. "Well, no big deal. You're just another bunch of brainless guinea pigs, right? Who cares what you think?"

"Oh, yeah?" Naruto charged forward to punch the man, but Isaribi blocked his way, her arms stretched out before him.

Amachi laughed amusedly. "Thank you, Isaribi."

"Come on, out of the way!" Naruto shouted furiously.

"I'm not moving!" Isaribi retorted sharply.

This took Naruto aback. He didn't understand why such a good person would do such a thing, he wanted to help her—save her, but she fighting back at him. "I don't get it! Why are you protecting this moron? I mean, he's the one that did this to you!"

"I know, but..." Isaribi screamed back. "But I don't have a choice now. He's the only person that can turn my body back to normal again! He promised me that he would! Here, look." The pain and sorrow in her face was something that could tear anyone's heart into two as she undid her bandages to show her scales to the blond boy.

"What're you…?" His blue eyes wavered at the sight of her.

"Look at me. People in this world would judge others solely on their appearance." She told him, her voice laced in deep sadness. "They stay away when they see me covered in bandages; imagine what they would do if they saw a monster covered in _scales_! I just want my body back, okay? I just want to be human; I'll do whatever it takes to be myself again!"

"But you still are human, it doesn't matter what you look like." Naruto responded to her earnestly, desperate to help her.

It was now Isaribi's turn to be taken aback. "Huh…?"

"And yet, you're attacking ships with these guys and sending them into the bottom. It's not a face that makes someone a monster; it's the choices they make with their life!"

"Just shut up!" the weeping girl screamed, tears pouring down her face. "Stop it!"

"But, I didn't…" Naruto tried to explain to her what his words meant, not wanting her to misunderstand, but she covered her ears.

"I don't want to hear it anymore! Just shut up!" she cried, shaking her head. "Why does everybody have to be so cruel to me…?"

"You don't get it," the Uzumaki boy told her softly, the anguish on his was plain to see. "You see, you and I… You and I are exactly alike!"

"Be quiet! You're human, aren't you? You've no idea what I'm going through!" She fell down to her knees in despair, covering her face with her hands. "I… I wish only wish that I was like you…!"

"Now, now, don't cry. I have you back to normal in no time, Isaribi." Amachi said slyly, taking a few steps from behind her. Anko lost herself in at his claim, knowing it was a lie. She snapped out of her daze when she sensed something coming towards them.

"Watch out!" she yelled, rushing over to where Ino stood and knocked her down to the ground, using her body as a shield when the wall by her exploded into a million flying pieces. When the smoke cleared, a shinobi with glasses stood at the hole.

"That Paper Bomb was right on the money," the man remarked with a smug smile, pivoting his head to the fish-like girl on the ground. "Thanks for distracting them, Isaribi."

"Ugh…" Naruto grunted in pain since was thrown back by the explosion, his body now on the floor and trying his best to get up.

"A-Are you okay?" Ino asked her sensei worriedly, Anko's body pressed on top of hers. She woke up by the time Naruto and Ino used their separate talents to defeat the shinobi that was left behind to deal with them, Amachi and Isaribi gone. The roof started to crumble, chunks of stone and rocks colliding to the floor above their heads.

Ino and Naruto came Anko's side, wrapping each of her arms around their necks for support.

"I think the whole place is coming down!" the Yamanaka girl yelled.

"They're taking us out along with the building!" Anko forced out, barely conscious.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Naruto shouted at their miserable luck, as Shino appeared through the whole in the wall, victorious in his battle with another shinobi before he came.

"Hurry! The entrance has already been blocked!"

ஜ ~ ஜ

The Leaf ninja raced through the tunnels of the collapsing underground facility, but they came at a dead end. Naruto volunteered to blast an exit with his Rasengan, but Ino protested against it, telling the blond boy that if he messed up, he might accidentally blow the whole ceiling on their heads.

"Okay, fine! You've got any better ideas?" Naruto asked in a panicked voice.

"Watch out. Everybody stand back." Anko bit her finger to draw blood and made the following hands sign: I, Inu, Tori, Saru, and Hitsuji to summon a giant blue snake and climbed into his mouth, and then let the serpent rammed its head through the wall and dropped them off to the outside.

"Ahh… Fresh air, what a relief!" Naruto exclaimed happily at the sight of sea and shining sun.

"Anko-sensei!" Ino shouted in concern when she saw the snake kunoichi crouching down in her pain, holding onto her Curse Mark. "Are you all right?"

"Let's go, there's not time to waste!" She ignored her Genin's worried expressions, as well as her won aching pain. "It's already morning!"

"Oh, right." Naruto muttered in remembrance at their original mission.

"The fleet sailing into a trap!" Ino remarked.

"Yeah, we've gotta reach them before it's too late!' Naruto spotted a boat washing upon the shoreline. "Hey, how about that boat?"

"Right, get on board!" Anko ordered them.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Shino was steering the boat this time, Naruto at the head of the boat as he kept an eye out for any ships out in sea.

"Huh? I don't see the fleet in the harbor, or any ships at all."

"There's only one reason they would have ever left without us, it's Amachi." Anko stated grimly. "He laid a trap for them, and they fell for it."

By the time they caught up, Isaribi already destroyed most the convoys and Amachi's other lackey. Shino went off to deal with the other shinobi—eager to end his battle with the glasses wearing ninja once and for all. Ino went to help the survivors into the boat and out f the water while Naruto and Anko headed off the boat to deal with the Demon of the Ocean and the freak leading this operation.

"Man, that's really low, even by your standards, weirdo." Anko grinned at the Amachi cheekily, standing on the upper deck with Naruto below her. He was surprised to see her alive, but then smirked at her slightly. "Glad you'd showed up. I still got a few questions I want answered."

Naruto, meanwhile, pleaded with Isaribi to stop working for the crazed medical ninja, but his attempts were in vain and she lunged for him and cast him off the ship and into the water along with her. Amachi motioned to follow them, but Anko jumped down and landed elegantly on the edge of the boat to block his path.

"I'm the one you've gotta worry about." she declared with her hands on her hips, enjoying the sight when he took a step back away from her. "You said Orochimaru left the research lab weeks ago, isn't that right?" She titled her head her head as she narrowed her optics at him. "Any clue where he's been since?"

"I have no idea." Amachi answered honestly. "I know that he took a young kid with him, an excellent prospect, he said. This kid isn't going to be disappointment like _you_ were."

A blank look adorned Anko's face as she stared at him. "Sasuke Uchiha…"

"You just didn't quite have it, guessed that's why he tossed you aside." Amachi taunted her, baiting her slyly into one his little mind games. She stood there for a moment, though, trying to not to like the man's words affect her. She charged at Amachi with two kunai knives and after a few minutes of fighting, Anko commented, "Not bad for a medical ninja!"

"So glad that you've approved." He backed away from Anko, glancing to see how his test subject was doing with the Nine-Tailed child.

"You're losing your focus. That is a mistake." she lectured in brash tone. The scientist threw his scalpels that he held between his fingers, and Anko blocked them all perfectly. A bottle of some kind of gray substance came at her and the snake kunoichi broke it in defense, smashing its contents out. As soon a she caught a whiff at it, she realized her mistake. "Now I've done it…"

The foul smelling gas spread around her as it reached her nostrils, her body turning numb and soon she was knocked out on the deck.

"Heh, someone was little overconfident." Amachi gazed down in triumph before he leaped off into the fray between Naruto and Isaribi. It didn't her long to come to and when she opened her eyes, she saw Naruto trapped inside some kind of watery blob. Anko saw that he couldn't hold his breath for too much longer.

"I've gotta do something…" She sprung up to the blob and tried pierce it with her kunai, but she was bounced back onto the edge of the ship. "It didn't work."

She heard the argument between Amachi and Naruto when the mad scientist revealed that he'd experimented on himself like did with Isaribi, transforming his body into a fish-like creature—though it was complete, unlike the girl's. Something deep within him became enraged when he saw Amachi reminded Isaribi that he was the only person that was able to change her back after Isaribi finally gained the will to defy the medical ninja, thanks to Naruto's help.

It was then when Naruto shifted Nine-Tailed mode, its destructive red chakra coating his body with its evil power, which was able to burst him out of that water blob. His eyes were blood red and slitted, his teeth and nails sharpen to a point as he stood on the ocean surface on all fours.

Isaribi was shocked at the sight of Naruto's sudden transformation. "Naruto…"

"That's right, he's the same as you." Anko confirmed, her hands in her coat pockets. She had leapt down from the deck to join the girl on the flat, rocky platform in the middle of the sea.

"What're you talking about? The same as me?" Isaribi inquired in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, Naruto carries inside him the spirit of the Nine-Tailed Fox that almost destroyed our village. Ever since he was a child people have treated him like a monster and a freak. That's why he works and fights twice as hard as anyone." Anko pivoted her head to watch the boy, her eyes and voice entwined with sympathy. "Everyday is a struggle…just to be accepted by the world as a human being."

"What he told me… It's complete true, I see what he meant…" Isaribi whispered, overwhelmed with guilt, as she remembered the boy's pleads to show how much they were alike, and then allowed her tears to fall down her face. They both watched in amazement how fast he moved while he took on the mutated Amachi. When it was over, he landed on his back in exhaustion on the water after his demon chakra faded.

"Naruto!" Anko was about to go and jump in to save him, but Isaribi moved quicker.

"I got him!" The girl jumped from rock to rock and then in the water to go rescue the boy…_again_.

Anko smiled when she saw that, insinuating that whatever Isaribi felt towards Naruto might border past the line of friendship. _Well, whaddaya know?_

Isaribi brought Naruto the surface and the snake kunoichi was awash in joy and relief when she saw that the boy was still breathing. It also seemed Shino was okay after his battle with his enemy. He was tired, but all right. And of course, Ino had helped all the ship survivors onto shore and out of harm's way throughout the entire chaos. Anko really did grown attached to them—her Genin, and she felt proud of them.

She saw a beaten up Amachi in the water in his human form again. He turned to swim away quietly, but Anko sent her snakes to tangle him into her trap. She grinned broadly when saw fear written all over his face. "Hmph. Looks like I caught me a big one, huh? You weren't planning on sneaking off, were ya?"

When they got him tied up, Anko stood with the kiddies, Isaribi included, on the rock surface as they glowered down at Amachi.

"You've been a busy boy out there." The violet-haired woman glared at him sternly, her hands stuffed down in her coat pockets. "You're gonna have _a lot_ to answer for once we get you back to shore."

Amachi averted his eyes away from. "This is far from over."

Naruto sneered at the man, raising his fist to punch him. "Oh, yeah? Maybe you need a little more convincing!"

Amachi merely chuckled. They exchanged a few mores to each other until they felt the area starting to shake around them. Amachi's summoning, the Sea Monster, emerged up in the water. The medical ninja stated that they didn't have a chance of defeating because it was immortal, but Naruto only whacked him on the head to shut him up, and Anko had stop herself from laughing out loud.

That kid was too funny, especially after when he was tossed into the air when he literally extinguished the Sea Monster, with the help of Gamabunta, the huge fog that had kicked Naruto up in the air as payback for being summoned to a saltwater environment. Frogs were fresh water creatures, after all. He'd performed a terrific battle in front of them, impressing everyone with his quick thinking and collaboration with his toad.

"Nicely done." Anko complimented him as Isaribi stood behind her, staring admirably at the blond boy. Anko knew with all her heart that he had a lot of potential, and he would one day go far in this world.

ஜ ~ ஜ

It was about sundown by the time they got back the port town, all of them on the ship with Amachi that was on tied to a pole.

"Well, we've dealt with your Sea Monster." Anko began firmly, hands in her coat. "Now you. You'll be taken to the Village Hidden in the Leaves and trial for all the crimes you've committed out here."

"That's right! Not to mention the trip to the moon I got from the Chief!" a wet Naruto added in angrily, making a fist.

The medical ninja growled, pivoting his head to look at Isaribi. "What's wrong with you, Isaribi? Take care of these fools, now!"

The girl was taken aback for minute, but then regained her composure steadily. "I'm done with you."

"Are you forgetting?" he asked her cruelly. "I'm the only person who can give you back your humanity."

"I don't care!" Isaribi shouted back, her resolve strong like her voice. "If I keep this up, I'll be nothing but a monster at heart."

Naruto was pleased with her response; happy she saw the light at last. "Yeah, I knew you'd finally come around. Well said."

Amachi laughed insanely. "You're neither a human being, nor fully integrated like I am! The best you could hope is to wander this world as a freak!"

Isaribi glared at him fiercely.

"The truth of it is, I'd never wasted a moment's thought on how I reverse your condition." The crazed medical ninja took delight when he saw the girl's anguish spread on her face. "Like I said before, the only reason I kept you around was to dissect you!"

"It can't be…"

"You rotten piece of garbage! How much lower can you get?" Naruto was enraged the revelation, lunging another powerful hit towards the scientist's face. Amachi braced himself for the impact, but it never came. Anko stopped him when she held out her arm in Naruto's path.

"That's enough. Once we get him back to the village, he'll be held accountable for everything he's done." She told him fixedly, ignoring his questioning expression. Naruto backed down like he was told, although he did not approve. Amachi chuckled at the boy's face, but froze when Anko leaned down to whisper in his ear threateningly.

"Now, I think it's about time you told me. Orochimaru, where do I find him?" she inquired in a tone.

"You really think I know where he is?" Amachi swiveled his head away from her. Anko tightened up his restraints harshly, but he merely grunted at her and then spoke in mocking voice. "The man tossed you aside and yet you still search for him? You and I are _nothing_ alike. With my research on this island, I would have eventually surpassed him."

"Oh, really?" Anko leant back; feigning an innocent expression before she used her fisted right hand to punched the medical ninja's face, knocking him unconscious.

The kids behind her looked at her with surprised expressions, except for Naruto, whose eyes were as wide as saucers as he pointed an accusing finger at her angrily. "Hey, how come you got to sock him?"

Anko blew lightly on her fist before she turned the others, ignoring Naruto as she cheerfully announced, "All righty then, mission complete! Let's get going, shall we?"

"That ain't fair! I want to get one in!" Naruto rolled up the sleeve of his shirt on his right arm.

"Give it an rest!" Anko commanded, her eyes and voice serious. Naruto was shocked by her firm tone, but the boy accepted it and backed down.

"Your luck, pal." Naruto mumbled at the unconscious man tied to the pole. Anko smiled at him, satisfied, before pivoting her in the direction of the sea…and at a certain island. Now, there was one thing she had to take care of…

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko rowed the boat she borrowed the next morning to Jiro Island. She had to come here, despite the fear she felt, but it was because that they were _her_ fears that she had to face them. She wouldn't feel right if she couldn't do it. She had to know what happened to her during the last time she was here, no matter how scared she was of the truth. Who would ever want to live in a world of broken memories?

_This is the place that Amachi was talking about: Jiro Island._ Anko thought to herself softly. _This is where my nightmare began… There may be fragments of my memory left here._

When she reached the shore, Anko jumped off the boat as her feet dragged her through the woods, her brown eyes scanning the area cautiously. She didn't know exactly where she was going, her natural instincts just lead her down the path she wanted to go—to the answers she must discover about herself…and Orochimaru.

She came upon an abandoned compound with a rusty, broken lock hanging on the entrance handles. Anko slid it off, staring at the door intently for a long moment. It was now or never, she decided. The snake kunoichi pushed the two sets of doors open and stepped inside, closing the entrance behind her.

She looked around for anything that may seem suspicious in the darkness, studying the boxes, the containers, and the sacks around the corners of the room. They all felt familiar, and the Curse Mark agreed, its waves of pain coursing through her body again.

Anko grimaced, panting heavily as she grabbed her neck. Her pulse raced as she took in deep, measured breaths to calm herself. She straightened herself, her resolve remaining strong. She wasn't about to let the Curse Mark chase her off from finding the truth. The violet-haired woman kept her eyes forward, her mind swimming back into her most painful memory of all that was locked tightly shut by Orochimaru's curse.

ஜ ~ ஜ

_She found herself kneeling on the dirt floor in the dark room. Her optics was wide with fear, pain, shock, and most of all, betrayal. She didn't know what was happening and her blood ran cold with her terror. Orochimaru's fangs were sunk in on the left side of her neck, his ebony hair brushing against her cheek ever so lightly. He stood several feet away from her, but his neck stretched to an incredible length so that he could latched his sharpen teeth into her tender skin._

_When he pulled his fangs back, the wound he created on her flesh burned like fire as it turned into three-tomoe mark, and the young girl clutched her shoulder in pain._

_"Lord Orochimaru, what've you done? This pain is…!"_

_The door opened as her sensei and that rat, Amachi, left. Before she knew it, she could hear his cold, cruel chuckle echoing around the room, ringing in her ears. She was left in darkness, caged in as the door closed. There was no escape now._

_Her small body started to tremble and she could hear her heart beating loudly from inside her chest, the young girl crying out in agony by the mark her sensei branded her with. She curled her body into a ball, then started trashing around, screaming as sweat poured down her face._

_Anko dug her nails into the dirt under her, creating lines in the ground as she tried to endure the pain that was resonating throughout her body. Everything went black after that and she lay on her back, lifeless as a doll and her eyes wide open with tears streaked on her face._

_The door opened slowly, and the two men entered. They walked until they were by her head, and she felt a chill run down her spine as they spoke. She didn't react; she couldn't, even if she tried._

_"She's still alive…" Amachi stated, clearly surprised._

_Orochimaru chuckled, staring down at her with cold eyes. "She's a lucky girl. So, out of the ten we tested, she was the only one to survive. One last delicious harvest before my departure."_

_The scientist pivoted his head to the Sannin, slightly surprised. "Departure?"_

_"There's no reason for me to be here anymore."_

_"But, my lord, the research…"_

_"It's all yours. You can consider it a parting gift. As of this point, I've no further need of it." Orochimaru swiveled to leave, but stopped when he felt a small hand around his ankle and he looked down to see the pain etched on his student's face._

_"But why? How could you do this? I don't get it, I've looked up to you more than anyone in the world!" Young Anko cried out to him. Her teacher smirked cruelly; his eyes carried no compassion or mercy to he as knelt down and gripped her chin with his icy fingers. His face was a mere breath away from hers, and he spoke to her directly in the eye._

_"You simply didn't measure up, my dear. I'm afraid you lack the hunger for power, the drive, the hatred, everything and anything." His snake-like tongue came from his mouth and licked his lips, watching Anko shaking with fear. He studied her face, contemplating of what more use she can be. After all, she didn't die from the Curse Mark. "Although, you didn't die. To make it this far, you can't be totally useless. Well, how 'bout it? Care to accompany me, then?"_

_Anko felt her heart racing faster and faster inside her small chest. Closing her eyes for minute in distress, she opened them and averted them to the floor. She was denying his offer, and more importantly, denying the man she loved the most in the world._

_"Fair enough." Orochimaru sighed at her decision, getting up and walking away with Amachi. "Somewhere out there is the diamond in the rough I'm looking for."_

_He didn't even looked back her as he left Anko stranded in the dark. She knelt down on the ground, her optics never leaving it. Despite refusing him, she couldn't shake off the feeling of loneliness that overcame her. She knew it she went that all use would be to him was a tool—a weapon for his own selfish reasons. He didn't care about her obviously, so why should she still care about him at all? The answer was obvious inside the depths of wounded heart. She might have refused him, but he was the one that left her—trapped in a cold, dark, and isolated place._

_She didn't know her long she stayed in that lonely place. She wrapped around in the dark's icy embrace until Orochimaru came back and wiped her memories. She couldn't recall how she washed upon the deserted shore where the ANBU found her. She was wet and frightened, eyes large with panic as she clawed the coarse sand in her palms, panting in broken gasps._

_Her worth was all used up._

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko snapped her eyes open with a jittery jolt, memories flowing like river in her mind. She averted her optics down on the floor, at the very spot she lain all those years ago.

"It's all coming back…" she whispered softly, swiveling her heel towards the door and back into the sun's bright rays. She squinted as it shone at her brown eyes, blocking most of its daylight from her with her arm. The sun…it was warm. "So bright…"

She didn't how to describe it, but somehow…she felt different, lighter—happier. It was if the empty world she once lived as shut itself closed and a new door opened, painting her world with new colors and energy.

_I wasn't cast aside. It was my choice, and mine alone._ She smiled at her newfound truth. She felt a sense of peace and strength that she had never felt before. She had her memories back, and more importantly, she was glad to know Orochimaru didn't abandoned her—she chose to abandoned him. She wasn't thrown aside like trash like she was mistakenly led to believe. She rejoiced at the revelation, glad that she retrieved back what was lost to her—relieved that she did have the will to stand up for herself.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Meanwhile, Naruto and the others, Isaribi included, waited the port to return back to the Hidden Leaf Village, the Uzumaki boy glancing around fanatically to search for their sensei.

"Hey, you guys, how come Anko is missin' in action?"

"There was no sign of her when I woke up." Ino replied, showing him the slip of paper Anko had left her this morning. "Just a note saying she'd be back in a bit."

"What's her deal? Can't she sit still for, like, one second?" Naruto grumbled with a shrug for shoulders.

"There's the pot calling the kettle black." The Yamanaka made an odd face at her teammate's ironic words. They got into a heated fight, until Isaribi inquired if it was really all right for her to journey with them back to Hidden Leaf Village. The Genin assured her that they would, and then she will receive help of the Fifth Hokage about her condition. She thanked them with a gentle, appreciated smile as a tender warmth enveloped around the group kids.

"Hey! Come on! What's the hold up?" The kiddies pivoted their heads around to find the snake kunoichi waving at them, already on board in the boat. "The boat's about to shove off!"

Ino was surprised, not noticing she arrived when they were here before their squad leader was. "When did she...?"

"What's the matter with you?" Naruto yelled angrily, his optics large as saucers again. "We've just been standin' around waitin' for ya!"

Anko clasped her hands in apology, a sheepish smile on her face. "Oh, sorry 'bout that."

The kids boarded the ship before it set off. The day was so beautiful, the sunshine glistening the waves of the sea and the air wafting through their hairs lightly. Seagulls could be heard flying above their heads as they breathed in their last scent of the ocean air before they return home.

"All right! We're headed back to the Hidden Leaf Village again!" Naruto exclaimed enthusiastically, pumping a fist in the air.

"Seriously, you've been spinning like a top from start to finish on this journey. Don't you know the meaning of the word tired?" Ino questioned him, an annoyed expression on her face as she pressed her palm to her cheek.

"Okay, what's that supposed to mean?" Naruto seemed offended.

"It's a compliment." Ino assured him with a wave her other hand, smiling slightly. "You've really came through."

"Wait, for real? Go on, you're embarrassing me." Naruto blushed, flattered, scratching the back of his head modestly.

Anko left out a laugh at their cute antics; her soul feeling so much freer now that the burden she carried all her life was finally set loose. She was happy, a warm smile gracing her pretty face. For once, she was glad to be alive—glad that she met these Genin. It was about time she had some joy in her life. She'd earned it, and she allowed herself to revel in it with these smiling kids.


	5. Crossed Mission

**A/N: **Now that I'm done with the arcs in _Naruto_, I can move on to my original ideas. The whole point of this story is making the meaning of Morning Glory flower, which is Anko's flower, go along with Anko feelings towards Orochimaru. This chapter is not part of the meanings. Rather, this chapter helps me shoot off the next chapter for the story.

This chapter was inspired and based off by the popular TV show, _Nikita_, and by Marjorie M. Liu's book, _Heaven's Eye_. I'll be using lots of ideas from other shows and books I read, including quotes since I find them funny. However, to make sure I'm not plagiarizing, I'm posting the first and only disclaimer here. Personally, I think disclaimers are a waste of time, but I'm doing it anyway.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own_ Naruto_ or anything else from other shows/books, such as_ Nikita_, _Vampire Diaries_, _My-HiME_,_ Black Butler_, Lara Adrian's _Midnight Breed_ series, or anything else people will notice in this story. The most I'll be using are funny or cool quotes. And reading the Lara Adrian and other vampire books my mother got really in to help me with writing lemon scenes. So, I don't own anything except for the concept of this story's plot.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko staggered through the forests of the Hidden Leaf Village, perspiration breaking out all over her body as she jogged under the morning sun. Two weeks has passed since her adventure in the Land of the Sea, and everything was back to normal in the village—_everything_. She went on with her life since she acquired the knowledge that _she_ was the one that left her sensei, but the serene peace had evaporated after a few days when she returned home. The nightmares kept haunting her and she still felt her intense loathing and lust for revenge towards the Snake Sannin.

Regaining the truth of what happened between them in the Land of the Sea was only a brief tranquility she savored while it lasted, but she knew that all her bitter emotions would rise up again soon as she reminded herself why she lived: For the chance to kill her ex-mentor with her bare hands.

She halted when she felt her legs giving out, bracing her back against a tree to catch her breath. The bodysuit she wore was not made of her usual mesh, but rather a black and green tightly fit material that hugged her nicely curves hips and buoyant breasts. She kept her perfectly shaped form taut with the daily workouts she gives herself, making sure her sleek muscles stayed lean and strong with her lithe figure.

"Anko!" a voice called out to her. The snake kunoichi lifted her head up to see a crimson-eyed, black-haired Jōnin approaching her hastily.

"Hey, Kurenai." she greeted her friend with a warm smile.

"I knew you'd be out here." the genjutsu specialist remarked, returning Anko's smile with one of her own lovely smiles. "Lady Hokage wants to see us."

The violet-haired woman raised a curious eyebrow. "How come?"

"It's for a mission."

"All right, then." Anko straightened herself off the tree, nodding sternly. "Let's go."

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Seiteki Zattō," Tsunade plopped down a file onto her desk, a picture of a middle-aged man with short, slicked back jet-black hair and onyx eyes slipping out from under it. Anko stood, still sweaty from her exercise, with Kurenai, and surprisingly, Asuma Sarutobi, in the Hokage's office. Shizune was by her mistress's side, as usual, her dark eyes fixated on the shinobi in front of her as the Fifth Hokage continued to speak. "He's your mission's target."

"The crime lord?" Anko picked the photo of man with two fingers, holding it carefully as she studied the man's handsome features that did not appeal to her at all. "I've heard of him. He's some kind of business contractor in league with all powerful crime syndicates here in the Land of Fire on the border. He runs a human traffic slavery cooperation, according the rumors I heard."

Tsunade smiled inwardly at Anko's informative mind. "Right. To be more exact, he runs a trading sex traffic business. Your mission is to take him alive, or wipe him out."

"Excuse me, Lady Hokage?" Asuma rose up a hand in question.

"Yes?"

"Seiteki is a powerful patron in the black markets. He committed series of crimes before the one you speak of right now, such as kidnapping." the male Jōnin said a gruff tone. "Why hasn't the village taken earlier actions against him before now?"

"It's a little more complicated than you might think." Tsunade replied with a sigh.

"You see, this crime lord has connections with bandits and rouge ninja that had defected from their villages." Shizune informed. "In exchange for money and…other pleasantries, they keep him safe from any of his enemies. Not only that, no one could gotten close to him to deliver the final blow. He's security is tight."

"If that's true, then you're saying this mission is a espionage one." Kurenai clarified, a hand of her hip. "You want us to infiltrate this headquarters and take him out. That's a risky mission if we don't know the exact number of his forces."

Anko snorted in disgust. "Why would anybody team up with such a scum, anyway?"

"The Akatsuki and Orochimaru," Tsunade began, Anko tensing as she heard her former sensei's name. "are not the only evil in the shinobi world. People like them have their sympathizers and collaborators, and it's our job as shinobi to put a stop this. Remember, before chopping off the head, make certain the body is dead, lest the head grows back."

"In any case, your mission is to have one of you pose as a sex slave inside Seiteki's headquarters and get close to him, then take him out or capture him. It'll be your choice who should go inside." Shizune's eyes became worried as she told them. "This is an S-rank mission, and it's a very dangerous one."

"Shouldn't a mission like this require more people in a platoon?" Anko questioned, folding her arms under her breasts.

"Normally it would, but since the village is shorthanded, I have no choice but to send only a cell of three. It's bad enough I have to send three of my Jōnin out there when I need all the security here in the village." Tsunade responded, her authoritative voice returning back to her. "Forgive me, but I don't have a choice."

"We understand, Lady Hokage," the shinobi declared together.

The Sannin nodded, her chin resting on her hands. "Good. So you mission is as followed: Infiltrate Seiteki Zattō's base and take him out. Free the prisoners and shut down his operation. Anko, you're in charge of this mission."

The snake kunoichi was startled by the news, pointing to herself in disbelief. "What, me?"

"Yep. You did so well in your last mission, I figured you could handle this one," the Slug Princess answered, her gaze drifting onto Kurenai and Asuma. "And besides, you were originally suppose to go on this mission alone, but Kurenai and Asuma insisted they tag along for the ride."

"They did…?" Anko cast a surprised look to her friends, who were smiling at her cheerfully. She grinned back, and then looked at the Hokage, determination shining on her face. "Well, all right. I won't let you down."

Tsunade smiled at the ninja in front of her. "Good answer. Now, you three do your best on this mission to get the job done."

They all nodded. "Right!"

"You are dismissed. You leave in one hour."

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Hey, stop squirming. You're going to look like a panda." Kurenai chided her friend teasingly, applying mascara on Anko's generous eyelashes. They sat in their own private room at the inn they checked into when they arrived in the town where Seiteki's headquarters were located. Asuma was in another room, prepping his Chakra Blades for their mission.

By the time they arrived, Anko went over the mission with them at nightfall. She decided that she would be the one to pose as the sex slave in the illegal cooperation building, on her own, despite Kurenai and Asuma's protests. However, as the mission's leader, they have to follow her orders, and that was the end of the story.

The next morning, Anko shifted uncomfortably in her chair as her friend attempted to enhanced the snake kunoichi's breathtaking beauty with makeup, which she strongly disagreed to.

"This is stupid," the violet-haired woman mumbled under her breath. "Why do I even need this junk on my face? It's not going to help me, we all know that I'm not a perfect, pretty doll."

Kurenai sighed at her friend's low self-esteemed. "Anko, I'm helping you embrace your inner beauty. You are beautiful, you just don't believe that you are."

Anko scoffed curtly. "Yeah, right…"

"You're a kunoichi, and kunoichi like us are taught to embrace our inner beauty and use it to our advantage on missions like this one." the genjutsu specialist lectured her as if they were still in the Ninja Academy. "Why won't you believe that you're beautiful, Anko? I think you are, and I know that everyone else think you are, too. It's not like you to be…self-conscious about yourself."

Anko ignored that last part. "I'm supposed to be a slave, not some overly dressed girl."

"You need to look your best while doing it." Kurenai argued. "I heard Seiteki just randomly kidnaps any pretty girls he sees off the streets, whether they're poor or rich. Men, too. That's how most sex trafficking works. He was a lot of control in this area, Anko. You need to get close to him if you're doing to take him out."

"I don't need to smear this stuff on my face, though."

"It's not that bad. Don't you want to look beautiful?"

Anko paused for a moment, staring down at her feet on the ground. Exhaling sharply, she pushed away Kurenai's hand that was holding the mascara and grabbed a cloth out of her backpack to wipe away the crap on her face. "I'm not like you, Kurenai. I'm not some elegant, natural beauty. Men don't look at me the same way they look at you. And you know what? I'm fine with that; I don't care if I'm pretty or not. It's a waste of time worrying about trivial things like that."

Her friend looked at her sympathetically. "Anko…"

"Hey, you guys? Can I come in?" Asuma rapped on the door to their bedroom.

"Uh, yeah. Come in." Anko called back, finishing smearing the makeup off her round cheekbones and eyelashes. Asuma entered, peeking his head in first before going in and sitting down on of the two beds in the room. "Whaddaya want?"

"I want to go over the mission again before we begin."

Anko sighed in irritation, placing a hand on her temple. She knew where this was headed. The night before when she announced her strategy to the two Jōnin, they made a fuss about whether or not Kurenai would join Anko inside the perverted crime lord's base. Anko refused, not wanting to put the person she saw as her sister in danger. It lasted for hours until Anko concluded it by listing her reasons for going in alone.

"We've been through this five times. I'm the most suitable for infiltrating the base. I'm the better taijutsu fighter and Seiteki doesn't even know how to fight. Besides, with Kurenai's genjutsu skills, she can use her genjutsu to stall the other guards while we free the captives. You guys have to admit, this is the only efficient plan we've got."

"Are you sure? Going in there by yourself, in that disgusting place…?" the raven-haired woman trailed off, dreading the thought of her friend being hurt in a depraved environment. "I'm just worried—"

"I'm sure." Anko inserted firmly. "While I'm on the inside, you guys have to scout the area and try to find any openings into the building besides the front entrance."

"Yeah, but you never told us _how_ you are going to get on the inside." Asuma pointed it, removing his cigarette from his mouth.

"I've got that covered." the snake kunoichi assured him with a lazy wave of her hand. "I overheard some things last night when we got here. Some of the townspeople were gossiping about the next batch of women that are going to be arriving this afternoon from a different patron. I'll just sneak in when they bring the girls in and then mingle in the crowd when they get off their transport. The people guarding their 'precious cargo' will never notice a thing."

"That sounds like a good idea." The male Jōnin nodded in agreement, pivoting his head to look at his doubtful lover. "Kurenai, are you okay with this plan?"

There was long silence until the black-haired beauty sighed deeply and then nodded. "I don't approve, but I'll trust Anko is making the right decision on this."

Anko smiled, appreciated by her friend's faith in her. "Good. Now then, we wasted enough time. Let's get this mission going."

"Roger."

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Hey, Anko. You got a minute?" Asuma sauntered towards the Special Jōnin as they stood a small cliff near Seiteki's headquarters. The woods gave them the protection they needed from not being spotted by anyone nearby, as well as a clear view from the treetops to peer down the dirt path that lead in the direction of the front entrance of the five stories Japanese-style castle in the middle of nowhere.

Anko gazed down at the road, waiting for the carriage carrying the captured women to pass by. She was determined to stop this sick operation once and for all. She pitied the women that had to go through the hardship of slavery and being rape by the captors. She shivered when a mental of herself appeared in her head at thought of being captured and raped like the other women, but she brushed it aside.

Her choice of attire of this mission were filthy rags—a strapless brown cloth as her shirt and a torn brown skirt with silts at the sides, exposing her gorgeous thighs. She purposely dressed like this as way to look more like a—though she didn't want to say it—sex slave.

"Sure, what's up?" she questioned, hands on her hips.

Asuma blushed slightly, turning his head away out of embarrassment at the skimpy clothes Anko chose to wear. She was beautifully formed with the gentle, graceful flare of her longs legs and hips, along with the slender curve of her waist, breasts, and delicate shoulders. She was lean with muscles and her fading blue lines of her veins were lovely under her alabaster skin.

"Uh, well… I heard your conversation with Kurenai before I came in your room earlier." he muttered under his breath, his eyes in another direction to avoid looking at Anko's body. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Okay…" she replied slowly. "But I'm sure you didn't come out here from scouting the area with Kurenai just to apologize to me. You want to tell me something else, right? Spit it out, already."

"Well, it's just that…" he stammered nervously, raking his hand through his spiky hair. "I'm just concerned, like Kurenai is. I'm not so sure you wanted to go in alone and want Kurenai to stay behind with me just because you think she'll make a good distraction when we free the prisoners. You do remember that most of the guards are rouge shinobi, right? Some of them will able to break out of genjutsu…and also…"

"Yeah?"

"It's very risky for you to be in that place all alone. You could get hurt, and—"

"Asuma, I get it, okay?" Anko cut him off sharply with a sigh. "I know you and Kurenai are worried about me, but I'll be fine. And you're right, I'm not just going in there alone just because I thought Kurenai would be better out here. I don't want her to get hurt, either. She's like my sister; I would die for her. I was just protecting her. I will always protect Kurenai."

"I feel the same…" Asuma whispered softly under his breath, and Anko smiled slightly, knowing his passionate feelings towards her best friend.

"And besides, let's face it. I'm also the best one to go in there and survive longer. No man would want to come over to a plain thing like me," the snake kunoichi added in with a humored tone.

Asuma stared at her carefully—not bothered by her near nakedness anymore—stunned by her words. "You really don't think you're beautiful, huh?"

"Nope." Anko answered, uncaring. She put her hands on the back of head as she gazed up at the blue sky, watching the clouds drifting slowly across it. "It's not a secret or anything. Ever since I was a kid, my body's structure seemed more like a boy's rather than a girl's. And I never really cared about my appearance, I was too much of a tomboy, ya know?"

"You don't mind?"

The purple-haired kunoichi shook her head, bringing her arms down to her sides. "I like being one of the boys, actually. I don't wanna be some delicate flower that gets worked up over as something trivial as their looks. So I never cared, I like the way I look. I know that I'm not a beauty like Kurenai, but that's just who I am."

Asuma smiled at her, a kind expression that was almost a perfect projection of his deceased father, the Third Hokage. "I see…"

"Yep, so that's basically it." Anko stretched her arms in the air, inhaling the fresh air around her. "I'm ugly. End of story."

"Anko!" Kurenai leaped from the trees and joined her comrades down on the ground. "I saw the carriage up ahead. They're coming in five minutes. They are at least twenty women in that carriage with two guards. At the castle's entrance, there's two other shinobi there."

The Special Jōnin nodded, her brown eyes turning serious. "All right. I'll get into position, and you guys wait here. I'll head down on the path and hide myself in the bushes near the entrance door. When they get the women get off, I'll use the Chameleon Jutsu to turn invisible and then mingle into the group. Then once that taken care off, I'll try to pass along any information from the wireless radio I'll be hiding on my person, and then try to find the exact layout of the castle's interior. After that, I'll get close to the boss and capture him, and we'll—Is there a problem?"

Kurenai and Asuma stared at with lost, blank expressions as she explained the plan in a hurried tone, so they were unable to keep up. The male shinobi cleared his throat awkwardly. "You lost us at 'wait here'."

Anko sighed in exasperation. "Geez…"

"You're used to working on your own, huh?" Asuma inquired as he made a slicing motion with his hand for emphasis. "Kinda just get right in there, direct offense. Solo, right?"

"Do you now what I'm not used to? Standing outside a building that I'm about infiltrate, and _talking_ about how I'm gonna infiltrate it. When I do something, I just get in there and…" the snake kunoichi retorted, trailing off as she exhaled a deep breath. "Just wait here and maintain radio silence until I contact you."

Now _that_ they understood. "Right."

"Okay, it's time for me to go." Anko swiveled to jump down onto the dirt road, but Kurenai grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Wait, Anko." Her voice was low with anxiety. "Be careful."

"I will."

"I know that you're used on being alone and everything, but you need to know that somebody cares for you." Kurenai pulled her friend into a warm embrace, startling the violet-haired kunoichi slightly. "_I _care about you, Anko."

Over her shoulder, Anko's eyes softened and she returned her friend's hug, squeezing her tightly before she pulled back. "I know, thanks."

Asuma smiled when he witnessed the emotional exchange. Now it was his turn. He walked closer to Anko and clapped an encouraging hand on her shoulder. "Be careful in there."

"I will." the snake kunoichi grinned, curling her fingers into a fist so she could give him a friendly punch on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" Asuma rubbed his the spot she hit him.

"_That's_ how I show affection." Anko stuck out a playful tongue at him.

Asuma let out a kind-hearted chuckle at her rough display of kindness. "And, Anko?"

"Yeah?"

"About what we talked about earlier, 'ugly' isn't exactly the word I would describe you. It's just the opposite, in fact. See ya." Asuma sent a good-natured, flirty wink at his friend and then depart into the trees with his lover. Anko blushed at the compliment, her cheeks flushed with a pink tint.

She never felt particularly beautiful; such a pretty word was foreign to her. Capable and tough, physically fit and strong, and occasionally, stubborn, were words she understood and accept. However, hearing that from a man—from Asuma—made Anko feel happy inside. She allowed herself to smile for a brief moment before she shifted back into her serious mode and headed down the dirt path to proceed with the plan.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"What was that about?" Kurenai asked curiously, watching the carriage unload the women at the castle's entrance from down below. They were women of all ages being escorted out, all their eyes puffy red from the tears they must have shed and their clothes strained. They were no chains shackling their wrists or arms since they didn't have a ghost of chance to escape from their armed guards.

Kurenai stood on top of a tree branch she was sharing with Asuma, who had his back against the trunk, arms folded across his chest. Her question was not that of jealously, but of pure curiosity. They both knew that, so her lover answered honestly.

"I was just giving her a pep talk, that's all." he replied, observing the last female captive exited from the carriage and the entrance doors shut closed, Anko successfully entering in with the Chameleon Jutsu. "I heard you were trying to boast her self-esteem about her looks, so I thought a guy's opinion might worked better than a woman's."

"That was sweet." Kurenai smiled gently at his kind-hearted gesture. "I wish Anko would hurry up and find someone she can spend the rest of her life. She's so _stubborn_, though, but I want her to be happy with someone she loves."

"Maybe she doesn't believe in love." Asuma remarked grimly. He understood where his lover was coming from. He also viewed Anko as a little sister figure, and she was valued friend of Kurenai's and a respected kunoichi in the Leaf Village. "It's possible, you know. Anko had a hard life, it wouldn't be too much of shock if she's afraid to open up to anyone."

The genjutsu specialist shook her head sadly. "That is too sad for me to accept. Life is too cruel. If people were to stop believing in love, why would we want to live at all?"

"Hmm…" Asuma crouched down to sit by her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Good question. But give it time, okay? Maybe Anko will find the one for her soon."

A smile graced Kurenai's lips as she lean forward to press a chaste kiss on her lover's lips. "Okay."

ஜ ~ ஜ

The infiltration proceeded without a hitch. Anko was able to mingled in the group of horrified women, though she was caught by surprise when the guards ordered her and the other girls to put on blindfolds, a way so the girls wouldn't remember how to escape from the enormous castle if they _did_ manage to break free. They were then forced into chains and were then led to their quarters in a straight line by the man in front, holding the iron shackles in one hand.

She heard men whispering around her as the guards lead her and the other women down a chilly corridor, shivers riding up her spine as the coldness swept over her exposed skin.

"This here is a pretty one…" she heard one man lustily drawled about one of the women, and Anko prayed that they weren't talking about her.

She heard another man chortled hoarsely. "You wouldn't know pretty if it'd hit you in the face! This one's a goddess, a work of art!"

Anko trembled violently when she felt clammy fingers coiling around her arm, stroking suggestive, small circles over her smooth flesh. Bile rose up in her throat, and she felt the urge to vomit on the one who _dare_ to touched her.

"Hands off the merchandise!" a gruff voice rebuked the other men harshly. "Lord Seiteki wouldn't like the whores losing their virginity to anyone else!"

Fury boiled inside the snake kunoichi's stomach when she heard those words. She didn't need the use of her eyes to tell what kind of men they were, it's obvious they were the kind that wanted one ultimate thing: Sex. She wanted to rip off these chains on her wrists and planted kunai knives of their crotches. Tempting as it was, the violet-haired woman decided against it to keep her cover intact.

Anko heard the sound of the door open and a scent of beeswax and cigarette hit her nose. She was told along with the other captives to walk inside and sit down when they were led in the room. Beneath her, she felt silk.

"Hey!" Anko shouted when she felt her blindfold being abruptly yanked off her face. She saw the shadows of the room being cut by light from the golden sconces impaled on the walls. Her brown hues scanned the room she was in, gasping aloud when she thirty other women in here.

All of them were nude, their bodies glittered with bright dust; their necks, ankles and wrists adorned with sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and many other jewels; their eyelids were loopy, half-opened as they lounged sluggishly on embroidered pillows and soft, velvet blankets. Anko narrowed her eyes through the darkness to see large bowls of fruit left between the vaguely conscious women, and syringes scattered all over the spacious room.

_They're being drugged! _Anko thought angrily, glaring at the men as they left the room. She couldn't see the door because silk curtains decorated everywhere around them, but she knew that the door was behind the thinnest sheet at the front.

An hour or two later, some of the men returned to the room—four of them, to be exact. They were shinobi, Anko guessed, judging them by the swords and scars they have on their bodies. They were whispering to each other quietly, and Anko tried to listen carefully through the soft sobs she heard slipping the other women's mouths.

"Only ten of them?"

"Yeah, Boss wants the prettiest ones brought to the meeting room."

"All right, but first…."

Anko jerked her head in another direction when she saw the men strolling over to the nearest girls by their feet, skimming their hands all over their nude bodies to pinch their nipples and pat the warm, wet spot between their legs. One of them was even starting to stroke himself in his arousal and then had to adjust his pants. The snake kunoichi bit back the enraged shout she wanted to release, but she gritted her teeth together so hard that her gums ached. She blocked out the painful moans and other sounds from the abused women when consciousness took them.

"What about that one?"

Anko shuddered when she looked back at the men, a red-haired man with a stubby chin and a X-shaped scar across the bridge of his nose, was pointing a finger at her, a lustful gleam in his brown eyes.

"She looks good."

He approached almost too eagerly, kneeling down beside as he extended a hand to rip off the top on her body. Anko panicked for a split second; she couldn't let the man touch her at her breasts since the radio was strapped there in the valley of her ample bosom. When the man's arm came closer to her face, Anko lunged and buried her teeth into his flesh, biting down hard until she tasted tangy, nasty blood on her tongue. The furious pervert kicked her back, her body colliding against the pillar behind her and she grunted in pain.

"You wench!" The man raised a hand to smack her across the face, but one of the other men stopped by him by catching his flying hand.

"Quit it. Boss'll have our heads if something were to happen to this…lovely lady." The newcomer was a middle-aged man with blue eyes and spiky ebony hair, his gaze raking up and down Anko's luscious, revealing figure. Anko swore that she saw saliva dripping from his mouth. "We'll take her with us."

Nine other girls were chosen before Anko was roughly chained up again and shoved through the door. She and the others were guided down a long hallway and then through a door, bright light hitting her eyes as she entered. Anko shut them to avoid being blinded as she continued to be tugged deeper inside. She heard two voices, one suave but arrogant, and the other one was soft and _all too familiar_.

"Today is a good day, I'd just received the newest sets of pleasurable entertainment. We can conduct our business while we sample these lovely ladies."

"I didn't come here to be stall by peddling flesh, Seiteki. I'm here to get retrieve more test subjects for my lord. I want no part of your revolting sense of 'entertainment'."

"How dare you! Might I remind you that I am the one who provided you and your master with captives from my company for _free_, you'd best watch your—"

"And might I remind _you _how easily I can dislocate your head from your body. I can rip you from limb to limb without blinking and you know it. So unless you want a unpleasant trip to the afterlife, I suggest you give me what I want."

"…Very well, Mister Yakushi, but I still suggest you should at least enjoy yourself while you're here."

"Kabuto Yakushi?" Anko mumbled under her breath in shocked, her eyelids fluttering open as she herself in a well flourished, spacious meeting room. The floors were wooden and at the back of the room sat Seiteki Zattō, sitting down a plush cushion, wearing a expensive looking white suit, his short black hair smoothed back and onyx eyes. In front of him, Kabuto stood with his Sound headband on his forehead, an impatient expression on his face.

Seiteki stood from his seat, finally acknowledging his men that brought the cluster of sex slaves into the room. Anko gulped silently when she saw Kabuto's optics darting to lock on her. She was _so_ screwed now.

"I see you've obtain quite a collection." the Sound ninja smirked knowingly at Anko, walking to where she and the other girls stood. His eyes studied her body, outlining her with a deft gaze on every inch of her scanty form.

"Indeed I have." Seiteki's stare wandered from each leggy girl to the next until his eyes landed on the snake kunoichi. He narrowed at her when he saw that her lips were bloodied, but quickly turned her attention the creamy swell of her breasts.

Kabuto's eyes darkened dangerously when he saw the crime lord reached out a hand to touch the apex of her legs. Anko growled fiercely and kicked the pervert to the ground before he could violate her, and Kabuto smirked inwardly.

The other men in the room—Zattō's guards—were not happy. "Sir, are you all right?"

Seiteki let out a rasp laugh as he stood up from the spot on the floor, dusting himself off. "Ooh… I like this one. She has spirit, a fire in her eyes. I bet she even got a fighter's heart. I'm sure she will provide me…an excellent time in the bedroom."

"Over _your_ dead body!" Anko spat vehemently, snarling. This was _very_ bad, she had to get out of her before Kabuto does God who-knows-what to her. What was he even doing here? Seiteki's fingers trailed the soft line of the violet-haired woman's jaw, savoring the touch of her velvet skin. Anko jerked her head away from him, disgusted by his touch. "Don't touch me with your filthy hands!"

"Careful, Boss, she's a feisty one," one of the guards warned him.

"But she is also a beauty." the crime lord replied, gesturing to the other women. "Take the others and give them to Mister Yakushi here to give to his master."

"We have no use for females." Kabuto informed him, his eyes glancing at Anko in a cryptic way. "This one, however, I wouldn't mind having. Lord Orochimaru will be _very pleased _if you were to give me this one."

"A woman finally caught your eye, eh?"

Kabuto shrugged carelessly. "I suppose you could put it like that. But she _is_ beautiful, isn't she? Everything a woman should be, and yet so rarely is."

_Oh, God…_ Anko wanted vomit right then and there when she caught the sound of Kabuto's suggestive tone. She has to get out of here…just as soon as she _killed_ these perverts!

The Sound shinobi turned to Seiteki, but his eyes were locked on the violet-haired woman. "How about it? If you give me her, then _maybe_ I'll convince Lord Orochimaru that you still have a good reason for living."

"Hmph… Very well, but after _I_ take her." The crime lord glared angrily at the silver-haired medic.

"I think not." Kabuto protested with a shake of his head, a hand on his hip, his eyes hardened at the man in front of him. "Give her to me. You'd best do what I say, least you forgotten how our agreement works: We will keep you alive, while you give us slaves in return. Your life belongs to us. If you cross the Sound, you'll _die_."

Seiteki was taken aback by this threat, fear slicing through him. "Tomorrow, then?"

"No, _today_." the Sound ninja corrected, a smug smirk on his face. "You did say I should enjoy myself while I was here, didn't you?"

Seiteki turned to his guards, reluctantly to obey. "Take the girl into one of finer suites."

"What?" Anko bellowed in a fit of rage. She was manhandled out the door and back down the corridor by two men gripping her arm, the two other guards escorting the other women back to their holding chambers. She struggled to get free, but the men's grip was too tight. After a few minutes, she then pushed harshly into room, decorated with white and red flowers on the walls, no windows, an elegant bed in the center of the room coated with a soft, fur blankets. She was forced on the bed by one of the men before they left the room and shut the doors. "Oof!"

Anko collected herself quickly and rushed to the wooden door, twisting the doorknob to only find it was locked from the outside. She pressed her ear to it so she can hear the two guards speak.

"Lucky bastard." one mumbled hungrily. "It's been a while since _I_ felt the wetness of a woman's legs."

"Ew!" Anko backed away, official sickened by this place. She's only been here in here for a couple of hours and she already wanted to blow the place into a million pieces. She climbed back onto the bed and reached into her skimpy shirt and pulled out the wireless radio.

"Kurenai! Asuma! Can you hear me?" she whispered fanatically into it, hearing static until a feminine voice got through.

"Anko? Are you okay?" Kurenai inquired, relieved on the other side. "How are you? What's going on?"

"We've got a problem, guys. And when I say problem, I mean _global crisis_! Orochimaru's lackey here is here!"

"Kabuto Yakushi?" Asuma's voice was heard this time.

"Yeah, he's here with Seiteki doing business or something."

"Why? What does Kabuto want with a scum like Seiteki?" Kurenai asked in a puzzled tone.

"I don't know!" Anko exclaimed, the conversation from earlier a haze in her mind, staring back at the door to make sure no one was coming in. "But I do know one thing: The kid works for Orochimaru and is practiced in the art of pain in the ass! Whatever he's up to, it's not _good_. He already saw me."

"What?" both the shinobi on the other line yelled, ignoring Anko's vulgarity choice of words. "You've got to get out of there! We have to regroup and think—"

Without any warning, a hand grabbed the radio from Anko's hand and threw on the floor, smashing it with a hard stomp. The snake kunoichi growled in anger, glaring up as a relaxed Kabuto adjusted his glasses up his nose.

"Sorry, but can't let you inform your friends what I'm doing here," he said calmly.

"You brat…!" Anko shuffled away from him to the far end of the bed. "If you think I'll let you lay a finger on me, then you have another—"

"Calm yourself, Miss Mitarashi. I won't touch you in that way, I promise." Kabuto gave her a half-smile, holding out his hands as a sign of peacefulness. "I just had to play with Seiteki so we can have a little chat. Besides, if I were to seduce you, Lord Orochimaru will surely kill me."

The violet-haired kunoichi looked at him, incredulous. "You expect me to believe that, Yakushi?"

The medic shrugged, a cheeky grin plastered on his face. "No, you don't have to believe anything I have to say if you don't want to."

"So what _are_ you going to do to me?" Anko inquired cautiously, bringing the fur blanket to her semi-exposed chest. "Why are you even here to begin with?"

Kabuto sat at the edge bed and Anko inched away as he did. "I could ask you the same thing. I never thought I'd see you here dressed as a slave."

"Shut up!"

The Sound ninja chuckled. "My apologies. Well, it seemed we both have questions we want answered. So how about we exchange information?"

"That depends on the questions." she retorted keenly.

"Smart girl. I see why Lord Orochimaru had such an interest you." The silver-haired youth pulled out a piece of clothing from his pouch on his backside and tossed it at her. "First, put some clothes on."

Anko glanced down at the plain brown kimono in her hands and then at Kabuto. Her optics narrowed at him, her way of telling him to turn away. He complied as she stood up on the bed and pivoted his back to her, his optics on the wall.

"You said you wanted to know why I'm here, correct?" he spoke while she slid out of skirt and skirt. "I'm here on an assignment for Lord Orochimaru."

"Oh? What for?"

"First tell me why you're here. This is how our little agreement going to work out, Miss Mitarashi."

"I'm on a mission to take down Seiteki and his sex traffic operation." Anko answered as she slipped on the kimono and tied the obi belt around her waist. "You can turn around now, Yakushi."

Kabuto swiveled around and sat back on the bed, a few inches away from Anko. "Well, you seemed to be answering honestly, so I'll be frank. I'm here collecting test subjects. Seiteki and Lord Orochimaru came to an agreement that he were to sell slaves to us, we wouldn't kill him. His headquarters lies on the border of the Land of Rice Paddies and the Land of Fire, so technically that fool is our land and must pay rent."

Anko snorted, disgustedly. "Of course, I should've known. But you don't seem to like Seiteki very much."

"He's merely a tool to us, quite troublesome." Kabuto replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "When his worth is all used up, he'll get rid of him."

Those words stung her heart just then, being all too familiar on having her 'worth' being used up. Anko sighed sadly as the memories from the Land of the Sea rushed back in her mind. Kabuto noticed her sudden change in mood and eyed her carefully.

"Tell me, how did the son of the chief of Medical Corps came to be a traitor to the Leaf Village and is now working for someone as depraved as Orochimaru?" she pressed him, wanting to know.

Kabuto scoffed at the accusing word. "Traitor? I was never one of you to begin with. My loyalty has always been to Lord Orochimaru, and no one else."

Anko snorted back at him, crossing her arms over chest. "What, did he brainwashed you?"

The Sound shinobi shook his head, smirking slightly. "Oh, no. The fact of the matter is that I empathize with Lord Orochimaru's ideals, unlike you, Miss Mitarashi. It's for his sake that I'm even here to begin with, collecting slaves for his experiments."

The snake kunoichi unfolded her arms, and glared angrily at the medic. Hearing that he actually agreed working with Orochimaru with no hint of remorse ticked her off. How can he be so nonchalant about everything? Was he that heartless, just like his master? "How can you be _so_ arrogant and glib after everything that you've done?"

Kabuto gave off a cold chuckle. "And how can _you_ be _so_ brave and _stupid_ to call an armed enemy arrogant and glib?"

"If you wanted me dead, I'd be dead." Anko challenged him.

"Yes, you would."

"But I'm not."

"Yet." he corrected cockily, realizing how close their faces are from each other since they shuffled closer to glare at each other in the eye. They were only a breath away from each other, their noses brushing slightly over together.

Kabuto took this chance to peered deeply into her pupil-less, light brown optics, noting the masculine in their directness, which was perfectly leveled and head-on. They both smirked at their banter, their faces close enough to kiss. Without warning, the door to the room was banged open and walked in several guards, Seiteki entering with a smug smile.

Kabuto backed away from Anko, standing up from the bed to look at the crime lord. He glanced at the violet-haired woman at the corner of his eye, noticing that she tensed at Seiteki's arrival.

"I thought I get an hour alone with her." He put on a placid mask, his eyes narrowing at the men in the room. Anko blushed at the suggestive tone in his voice again; in spite that she knew it was just an act. "Get out."

"I'm through taking orders from you, brat." Seiteki sneered in detest, jerking his head to his guards. "Take him."

The medic sighed calmly, pushing up his glasses with one hand while his other one into his pouch and took out a Smoke Bomb. "Well then… That's our cue to leave."

"What're you—" Anko was interrupted when Kabuto dropped the bomb onto the floor, a cloud of gas enveloping into the room. She felt a hand grabbed her wrist and then she and Kabuto jolted out of the room.

When the smoke cleared, Seiteki seethed in rage, finding them gone as he turned to his hired men. "Go after 'em!"

ஜ ~ ஜ

Kabuto and Anko ran down the ran down the dark corridors as quickly they could, increasing their pace as they heard the guards catching up to them. The snake kunoichi looked at the medic's back, pondering whether of not she should trust him. He was still the enemy of the Hidden Leaf, and in league with Orochimaru.

"Hey, Yakushi."

"Call me Kabuto." he replied casually, pivoting his head over his shoulder to look at her.

"Fine, _Kabuto_. Do you even know where we're even going?" she inquired, taking a right into another hallway with him.

"You don't know where the exit is, do you?"

"I was blindfolded when I came inside."

"I see…" he paused for a moment before he spoke again. "Well, to answer your question, yes. I've been here plenty of times before to know my way around."

"You don't seem to like the man that was dealing with you very much, huh?" Anko commented with a slight grin.

"The feeling is mutual, I assure you." he responded cheekily, making a turn down another corridor. The footsteps of the guards became more audible to their ears. "Seiteki is the type of person who doesn't like to take orders from anyone, I knew he would betray us eventually. Besides, obtaining test subjects from him was the only thing preventing me from throttling him to the ground. Now that's over, there's no reason for me to hold myself back from blowing this place sky-high."

Anko froze at the moment, halting her tracks. Kabuto stopped as well, swiveling to see her fierce glare. "You can't blow this place up. There are innocent people here."

"So what?" There was an icy gleam in his onyx eyes. "Why should that matter to me?"

"I'm not leaving here without them," the snake kunoichi stated firmly, feeling abhorrence at Sound ninja's lack of compassion, not that it was surprising. "In case you've forgotten, I'm on a mission."

"We don't have time for this, Miss Mitarashi." Kabuto sauntered over to her, gripping tightly on her wrist. "You're coming from me, whether you want to or not."

"You little…!" She was about to curse him off, but was interrupted when they pivoted their heads to see incoming kunai knives aiming straight of their heads. The ducked down immediately and looked back to see the guards—the rouge shinobi—at the other end of the hallway.

"There they are! Get 'em!"

"Come on, let's go!" Kabuto dragged the violet-haired woman down the hallway, the hired shinobi right behind them. One of the guards threw a kunai at them, but the aim was low and poor, and it scraped Anko's right thigh through her kimono skirt. Anko let out a small yelp in pain at the small abrasion, but continued to run with Kabuto pulling her along.

Without looking behind them, Kabuto let go of Anko's arm and made a hand sign. "Release!"

The wall exploded as the guards passed it, snaring them into the rumbles and smoke. Kabuto smirked in victory, taking his female companion's arm once again and lead her down the next hallway. Kabuto stopped midway and knelt down in the middle of the corridor, surprising Anko when he removed a section of the tile to reveal a secret door.

"How did you…?"

"Like I said, I've been here plenty of times to know my way around, including all the secret passages way to escape from this place." Kabuto explained, breaking the lock with a hard jab with a kunai through the keyhole, shattering it. "Also, I did say we knew that Seiteki would betray us eventually, so I made a careful note to make sure I took precautions in case something happens. The explosion you saw earlier was from a Paper Bomb I'd implanted here before."

"So you were playing to double-cross Seiteki, too." Anko remarked.

"Yes. Now, let's go." He offered a hand to her, but kunoichi brushed by it and jumped down into the secret escape hole. Kabuto grinned at her refusal and followed her down below into absolute darkness, making sure he replace the tile of the floor so the guards wouldn't follow.

"I can't see anything."

"You like stating the obvious, don't you, Miss Mitarashi?"

"Shut up."

Kabuto reached into his pouch and pulled out a light stick, bending it in the middle until a green glow radiated around them. He saw Anko crouching down on knee, her hands grasping her wounded right thigh. The medic leaned down by her, inspecting the wound carefully in the dim glow. The cut was deep, but it wasn't fatal, and rivulets of crimson dripping down her leg.

"It doesn't seem too bad. Here, let me take a better look at it."

They both sat against the stone wall behind them, Anko holding the light stick as Kabuto applied the Mystic Palm Jutsu on her injured thigh. The snake kunoichi eyed him warily, preparing to defend herself if he were to try anything funny. He stopped when the bleeding was gone, the wound closed.

"That should do for now." Kabuto said, the green-colored chakra disappearing from his hand. He took out a vial filled of white substance and dabbed some of it on his index finger, spreading it smoothly over the visible abrasion. Anko flinched slightly, biting down on her bottom lip a little. Kabuto drew back his hand at her reaction. "Sorry, but I don't have any anesthetic. This medicine is only use to prevent infection."

"It's okay, I've had worse," she mumbled under her breath, averting her eyes away from him.

"From doctors or other men?" he asked knowingly, securing bandages around the injury.

Anko shook at the question, turning her shocked face back to see the small smirk on his lips. Her expression changed from surprised to slight anger and troubled, her optics wavering nervously.

"Don't get so agitated, now." The Sound ninja stood back up, reclaiming his light stick from her. "I am Lord Orochimaru's right-hand man, it's my job to know anything that concerns him, after all."

"Hmph." Anko rose to her feet, holding out a palm to the silver-haired man. "Give me a kunai."

"Why would I do something like that?" he questioned her wittingly, his free hand on his hip.

"Because I need one to defend myself. I'm going to regroup with my comrades and get the other captives outta here." she replied urgently. "Hand it over."

"I think not. You're not going back out there, you don't even know the way out." Kabuto refused, narrowing his eyes at her. "We're leaving this castle right now, and then I'm going to blow it up. I've placed multiple Paper Bombs around this castle, it should obliterate everything once we're in the clear."

"You can't do that, there's people here!"

"I told you that I don't care. Lord Orochimaru gave me full permission to annihilate Seiteki and everyone in it if he were to betray us. We have enough slaves already back in our hideout, there's no reason why we can't take out the other slaves in this building, too." Kabuto responded icily, extending a hand to grab Anko's wrist, but she retreated and she glared at him virulently.

"You're so cruel. How do you do it? How can you leave behind everything in your life back in the village and work for Orochimaru to do these things? Are you that cold-hearted?"

_This is getting ridiculous…_ Kabuto thought in exasperation, sighing outwardly. "I told you before: I was never part of the Leaf Village to begin with. It was just my cover."

"So what?" she argued hotly. "Was everything a lie to you, then?'

"Yes, it was. I lived the lie until the lie became my life." Kabuto answered without hesitation. "That's what spies do, Miss Mitarashi. Relationships with outsiders are dangerous, so I make a mental note to not get emotional attached. I was an orphan, so I never had emotional attachments to my roots to begin with."

"True, but you can't just live the lie! You have to live your life too!" Anko declared in rage. "I also try not to get emotional attach to anyone, but you're—"

"Oh, you mean the same way you did with Lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto inserted indignantly.

Anko was taken aback, staggering a feet away in astonishment. Her anger flared when she registered her mind back from her stunned daze, and like a cornered animal, she drew back an open palm and landed a stinging blow of the Sound ninja's cheek. He didn't react at all, merely raised a hand over his swollen cheek as he stared at her emotionlessly.

"Are you done now?"

"Forget it," Anko shook her hand, taking one side of her skirt and ripped it all around until the cloth fell into a heap on the ground. She needed to shorten it so she can move more freely. "I don't need your help to get out of here, and I don't want it."

"That would be _incredibly_ stupid of you." Kabuto retorted, clearly snarky. "We're wasting time. We need to leave, now."

"I don't care. I'm not abandoning my comrades and everyone else in here to escape!" Anko spat back furiously, jabbing his chest with a pointed finger. "Unlike you and Orochimaru, I'm not a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities."

"Ouch," came his flat voice.

"I'm serious, I'm not leaving with you. End of story." she repeated, trotting down in the opposite way of the exit in the dark corridor. Kabuto watched her go with narrowed eyes, adjusting his glasses up his nose as she disappeared in darkness. The ground shook suddenly and the medic stumbled forward. Yelling could be heard coming from above his head, which was followed by what sounded like clashing blades.

"What's going on out there?"

ஜ ~ ஜ

When she came at the end of the dark hallway, Anko felt her hand on a doorknob and she twisted it, leading her into a brightly lit hallway. She sighed in relief, but then she heard sounds of a battle up ahead. At the end of the hallway, she saw more of Seiteki's men rushing down another corridor, one of them pausing when they saw Anko standing in the middle of hall.

"Damn!" she cursed as she found herself outnumbered when they came towards her. One man came at her with a sword, slashing through the air, but Anko ducked her hand and swooped back up to land a blow to his nose with her elbow, breaking the bone. The rouge ninja shouted in pain and was kicked back by the snake kunoichi as she pulled the sword out of his hand. Although she had a weapon to defend herself with now, it was too late when she felt someone behind her wrapped a sack over her head and blackness covered her sight.

She felt the guards took her arms and roughly pushed her down the hallway and to somewhere else. They bind her hands behind her back with a rope as they walked her outside to the back of the building. Anko inhaled oxygen into her lungs when the sack was yanked off her head, and she glanced around to see Seiteki standing in front of her with a conceited, playboy smile—imbued with all sex and ugly charm—with five guards. She looked up at the sky and saw stars, it was already nighttime. How long had she been in that castle?

"You're no ordinary girl, are you?" the crime lord inquired, reaching out a hand to stroke her soft cheek.

"Well, aren't you clever?" Anko sneered at him, jerking her head away from his dirty touch. "What gave me away?"

"I heard you took down of one of my men easily, and I suspect you must be connected to the others attacking my base." Seiteki pointed a finger towards his castle, and Anko swiveled her head to see explosives and the crime lord's men flying out the windows and being sent down into the hard ground. "Such a shame, you could've made such a good plaything."

"And you're nothing but a sick freak." Anko jeered, a bitter grin stretched across her face. "Kidnapping women, drugging them… That's the only way for you to get a girl into your bed."

Seiteki smirked evilly at her comment, his eyes blazing with a nasty lust. "You have a acerbic tongue. I can't believe I haven't had my way with you earlier."

Anko titled her head to the side, a daring expression on her face. "Can't handle me then, can't handle me now."

"You wanna bet, beauty?" His greedy lips crashed against her in a cold kiss, provoking Anko to puke. She kept her lips in a tight line, not wanting him to enter the cave of her mouth. His tongue prodded the seam, but she did not cow to him. She would _never_ do that to anyone.

He pulled back when he heard of his guards yelled out, "Boss, watch out!"

A lethal dart flew through the air and right into the Seiteki's neck. Anko moved back when she his body falling facedown into the dirt. Kunai knives traveled to the five guards around her, the blue fire of life slipping away from them as the kunai embedded themselves into vital spots of their bodies. They were all dead in a matter of seconds, and Anko glanced around to find her rescuer.

"You're a _very_ troublesome woman," a smooth voice noted. Anko's optics enlarged when Kabuto emerged in front of her, his fingers to his glasses and his cheek still bruised from where she slapped him. "Sometimes, I wonder what Lord Orochimaru sees in you."

"Kabuto…" she whispered, dumbfounded as he pulled out a kunai. "Why are you here?"

He ignored her as he cut the ropes binding her, continuing to talk about the topic he brought up. "Maybe because it was your stubbornness that the Curse Mark didn't kill you, and Lord Orochimaru wants you to live."

"What?" Anko raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "What're you saying?"

"I have to go before your comrades gets here." Kabuto pivoted to leave, but Anko grabbed his arm.

"I want to be clear about one thing: I don't regret coming back to save the slaves. Before you go, I want to know why you saved me and didn't blow up the castle," she said firmly, wanting to know. Kabuto snatched his arm away from her so he was the one grasping at her wrist tightly in his hand, gazing in her optics for a long moment.

"Anko!" Two new voices joined in. The two shinobi turned their heads to see Kurenai and Asuma running up to them, taking a fighting stance when they saw Kabuto holding onto Anko.

"You guys…" Anko smiled, happy to see the two okay, though a little beaten up.

"Are you okay? We came when lost radio contact with you." Kurenai asked worriedly.

"Let her go, Kabuto." Asuma held his chakra-infused brace knuckles, his voice low and dangerous. "Do it, now!"

Kabuto disregarded with a shake of his head, returning his attention to Anko. "You don't get it, do you? Everything I did, helping you and all, I was _ordered_ to do. Lord Orochimaru told me to watch over and protect you. He couldn't allow you to die just yet."

Anko was shocked, stunned. What did he mean? Orochimaru wanted her to live? Why would he care? "But when did you—"

Kabuto interjected, glaring his onyx eyes at her. "Let _me_ be clear about something: If comes down between you and someone else again, then I will _gladly_ let that person die. I was following Lord Orochimaru's orders, and so I am speaking on his behalf. Do understand this when I say it for him: I will _always_ choose you."

He let go of her then, shoving her carelessly towards the Leaf shinobi. Anko fumbled back into Kurenai's arms, embracing her into a happy hug. Asuma smiled as the two friends reuniting, but then he turned back to the Sound shinobi.

"Hmph, your master can be obsessed with Anko all he wants if it means that he'll protect her," the male Jōnin started with a serrated voice of hate, his eyes narrowing threateningly at the silver-haired medic. "But tell him this: We will have the one thing he never will have from Anko: her respect."

Kabuto chortled humorlessly, shrugging faintly as he smirked darkly. "I'll make sure to pass that along. But, I will tell you this in my lord's stead: I don't mind being the bad guy in this scenario. I'll make all the life and death decisions while you people are busy worrying about collateral damage. I'll even let her hate me for it. But at the end of the day, _I'll_ be the one to keep her alive."

"What do you mean?" Kurenai questioned, seething angrily.

"I could've blown that whole building up when I got Miss Mitarashi out of there, I still could, you know, but my job is done. Seiteki is dead." the Sound ninja paused to gesture to the dead corpses on the dirt ground, his eyes darting back to snake kunoichi as he went on in a wicked tone. "Lord Orochimaru's orders were to protect her _at any cost_. He didn't care who had to pay the price. Do you understand now? You Leaf shinobi don't have what it takes to save her without worrying about the consequences. You hesitated, not knowing what was more important to you: saving your friend's life, or saving the lives of people you don't even know."

"Unlike you and Orochimaru, we don't waste life! We save it!" Asuma shouted back.

The Sound ninja shrugged uncaringly. "Maybe, but that doesn't matter to me. I'll be going now. Oh, and, Miss Mitarashi? Next we meet, we will be enemies."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Anko narrowed her hard eyes at him.

"Until we meet again." Kabuto gave her a dry half-smile, and then rushed off into the trees. He was secretly pleased about what happened today, and couldn't wait to relay his report to his master.

Back at the outside castle, there was a long, very awkward silence in the air between the Leaf ninja. Anko's optics were staring at the spot Kabuto was, her mind in a shuffle as she tried to process everything he had told her, not knowing if she should believe him or not. She had so many questions, so many unsaid things and doubts that she couldn't think correctly at the moment.

Asuma broke the strained atmosphere with a command. "Let's go free the prisoners."

ஜ ~ ஜ

"I see…" Tsunade sighed when she heard Anko's report the next two days when they arrived back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. With the captives free and safely returned home to their families, and Seiteki dead, their mission was a success, even though it didn't played out in the way that everyone expected it to. Anko was glad that they didn't come back home until two days after the events; she needed time to think on what she wanted to say to the Hokage when she had to be debriefed.

What did Kabuto mean when he said all those things to her about Orochimaru, about him wanting her alive? Why did the Snake Sannin ordered Kabuto protect her? Did that mean she still cared for her, or was it because he had some kind of evil plot in mind to toy with her again? And was she so _happy_ to find out that Orochimaru was still thinking about her?

"Well, good job, everyone." the Fifth Hokage concluded, leaning back in her chair. "You are dismissed."

"Right." Kurenai and Asuma left the room swiftly, and Anko motioned to follow.

"Anko, you stay."

The Special Jōnin halted and pivoted around to face the blond woman. "Yes?"

"Are you…okay?" the Sannin asked, concerned. "From what you told me, it sounded like you had a rough time, dealing with Seiteki and Kabuto."

"Yes, I'm fine." Anko lied. She was far from fine, but she couldn't let anyone know that a nostalgic part of her heart ached to know whether or not to believe Kabuto's words about Orochimaru. If anyone else did found out, they will think that she was mentally unstable or positively deranged.

Tsunade observed her warily. "Okay, then. You may go. Get some rest."

"I will, thanks." She bowed in gratitude and exited the Hokage Tower, her head in the clouds. She damned herself for letting the old, romantic feelings she kept snared in her heart for so long take control of her thoughts. She thought after the mission was over, she would enjoy herself when she got home, her worries and anger all gone for even a temporary moment, wanting to smile and find herself in the warm comfort of her friends. But instead…she felt only more lost than before.


	6. Lingering Attachment

Anko chose to lock herself up in her room the following day when she returned home from her mission, three days after her encounter with Orochimaru's right-hand man, Kabuto Yakushi, barring herself in the quiet sanctity of her room. She lay there on her bed, staring mindlessly at the ceiling. The room was dark, the curtains drawn over her window to prevent sunshine from entering. Her eyelids were half-opened; loopy from the lack of sleep she had when trying to digest what Kabuto told her.

Anko's surreal mind was cut off by everything else but the incident that happened on her mission. She couldn't think, eat, sleep, or do anything. She didn't have the energy to bolt up from her bed and wear her usual, happy façade and greet her friends that she would see daily in the Leaf Village. She felt lost and emotionless—alone, empty inside, feeling like there was no person in the world that could understand what she was feeling. There was this big…_hole_ inside her chest, like a piece of her was missing.

If she would tell anyone what she was feeling, they would send her suspicious stares and glares of deep disapproval. They were criticize and frown at her display of doubtfulness and weakness, claiming that she was only allowing herself to be manipulate by the man who bathed her in a world of crimson red—the color of spicy, addicting blood—and lectured her about the wrongness of her love and need of him in the middle of her own self-pity.

Anko cursed angrily to herself, slamming her tightly fisted hands into her bed, the sheets caving in as the pressure she distributed. Damn Kabuto for saying those words to her! Damn Orochimaru for leaving! Damn him for coming back into her life just when she thought she could forget about him! Damn him for _still_ making her feel this way about him, even after he betrayed her and the Leaf Village, and murdered their beloved Third Hokage! Damn _him_ and _everyone_ and _everything else_ that had perpetually screwed up her already messed up head!

She was fuming hotly about her conflicting feelings for the man she so detested and yet loved all the same. She sucked in a breath to calm herself down from her rigid, boiling rage welling up inside her guts. She wasn't going to accomplish anything just laying in bed and screaming inside her head.

Standing up, Anko grabbed her khaki coat from its seat on the chair and stalked out of her room. The bustling hum of civilian life in the sunny streets of the Hidden Leaf Village was all just a blurry buzz to her, her mind elsewhere. She kept her dazed out eyes on the ground as her feet dragged her around the village. She rubbed her Curse Mark on her neck, even though there was no pain afflicting her at the moment. She blamed whatever _lingering attachment _she held towards her former sensei on the seal that marred her creamy skin. She closed her eyes and leant against the tree to the Third Training Ground, her mind drifting back to the bundle of bitter emotions that he branded her with along with his blasted Curse Mark.

She remembered all the twisted, nasty experiments he did; how she raged against the nightmares that she sobbed about into her pillow when she awoke from her relentless slumber that she would screamed her way out of; how she would obsessed over the idea of finding and killing him with her own bare and bloodied hands; and how she loathed herself for wanting to die alongside with him, to be together with him in the afterlife. The Curse Mark was the only thing that bound their souls, forever entwining their paths in an endless cycle until one of them dies.

"Damn him!" Anko rammed her right fist into the tree bark over and over again, venting out her frustration. Blood was seeping out from the splinters she an inflicted onto her soft skin, stinging her with a small piercing pain, but she didn't care. No pain could ever compare to the ache she felt every single time her former mentor shown up in her life.

"Anko?"

The snake kunoichi froze, and she raised her head to see the source of that sweet and caring tone. Kurenai stood there, her crimson optics wavering with concerned over her friend that was injuring herself. Three Genin stood behind her, observing her with curiosity and confusion at her actions. However, behind their so-called worried for her, Anko saw something else, something that was transparent to her and she despised so much.

Pity.

She wasn't used to it, and she mostly certainly didn't want it. She'd rather be dead than accept anyone's pity. It was foolish, worthless thing—shameful, even.

Anko removed her hand from the small wreckage she made with her fist, glancing sideways to avoid seeing the troubled expression on her friend's face. She didn't want her or anyone else see just how broken she truly was on the inside. Kurenai was wide-eyed from what she saw, shocked that she witnessed something she, Anko's best friend, or any other of the Jōnin, would never had thought to see before.

"Hey, Kurenai…" Anko greeted her meekly, still not meeting her blood-colored hues. She held her blistered hand behind her back, trying not to show her discomfort at the small twig of pain she felt. "What're you doing here?"

"I was coming here to train with my students," the female Jōnin answered, gesturing a hand to the kids behind her. "Anko, what were you do—"

She unable to finish her question when one of her students—one Anko was familiar with now—came forward, inclining his head to her in a welcome.

"Hello, Anko-sensei." Shino greeted, stepping closer to her with his hands in his light-blue jacket pockets. "It's been a while."

"Hey, kiddo." Anko smiled warmly at one of the first Genin she lead on a mission not too long ago. She ruffled his busy brown hair in affection with her good hand, grinning when she heard one the Aburame's teammate—Kiba Inuzuka—snickered at the scene. "How've you been?"

"Fine." There was something in voice that was masked with his usual curt reply. It sounded urgent, Anko confirmed, like he was hinting something to her. "Are you here for training as well?"

"Oh, um…" Realization struck her when she figured out what the boy was trying to do for her. When it did, Anko faked an innocent, awkward smile on her features. "Yes, I was. I'll be going now to give you and your buddies space to train."

Shino nodded thankfully, both from offer to give them the training grounds to him and his squad, and for noticing his secret message to her. "We'll appreciate that, thank you."

"Train hard! Bye!" Anko flashed the bug boy one last happy grin before scurrying off. Kurenai tried to stop her from leaving, but the Special Jōnin was already gone in a blink of an eye. Kiba sauntered up to his sensei; assuring her that Anko will be fine and that they should focused on training for now. Hinata strolled over to where Shino stood, fidgeting her fingers shyly.

"Uh, um…" she shuttered nervously, gazing at her teammate with her lavender eyes. "Shino, why did you do that? Kurenai-sensei was so worried about her, but it seemed to me that you were giving Anko-sensei a chance to get away."

"She didn't want to bother, that much as clear in her eyes." Shino replied matter-of-factly. "Even if she didn't run away, what could Kurenai-sensei possibly say to make Anko-sensei feel better about her problems? There wasn't anything she could do console her."

"Yeah, but—"

"Come on. Let's go train." Shino interrupted his quiet, gentle teammate to join his sensei and other his hot-tempered, feral teammate to begin their exercise session. His mind went back to the Land of the Sea when he saw a quivering, horrified Anko clenching herself tightly in fright. He was the only one who had noticed that she was distressed about something, like he did now. He didn't want to see that look on her face again, and did not want his sensei or his comrades to see it either. If they did, then all of them would be uneasy with worry for the violet-haired woman.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko let out a sigh of relief when she was able to get back into the streets and away from Kurenai. She will thank the Aburame boy for his assistance back there when she sees him again. She owed him one.

Taking out a roll of bandages from her coat, Anko fastened it around her bloodied laceration, tying it to a tight knot. She exited the alleyway she entered so no one would see the blood in plain sight, and she continued her walk down the streets in profound reflection of the stressful event that took place on her mission. She kept hearing Kabuto's words echoing inside her head, and she tried to comprehend on what they meant.

"_You don't get it, do you? Everything I did, helping you and all, I was _ordered_ to do. Lord Orochimaru told me to watch over and protect you. He couldn't allow you to die just yet."_

"_If comes down between you and someone else again, then I will _gladly_ let that person die. I was following Lord Orochimaru's orders, and so I am speaking on his behalf. Do understand this when I say it for him: I will _always_ choose you."_

_God, what could that even mean…?_ Anko wondered, only to cease her pondering when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She glanced to her side to see Asuma standing next to her, a grin plastered on his chiseled face, his cigarette dangling his lips.

"Yo." He gave her a mock salute.

Anko smirked, mimicking him back with her own greeting. "Yo yourself."

Asuma inspected her face closely, noting her tired eyes and bandaged hand with a hard stare. He wanted to ask what happened, but decided against it since he knew she would either get a lie or nothing out of her. "How're you doing?"

Anko rolled her eyes tiredly, walking down the streets with the male Jōnin at her side. Scoffing, she spoke in a sarcastic tone. "Great, Asuma. Walking on sunshine."

"Anko, we're close friends, right? I really want to know how you're doing." he responded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm _fine_, Asuma. Really, I am. I appreciate your concern, but I really don't need to be coddle like some helpless child." Anko assured him, rubbing her temple in exhaustion. Why does everyone always have to poke their nose into her business? "I'll catch you later, okay? Bye."

"Anko, wa—" But she was already gone before he got the words out, dashing down the streets and away from him. Asuma had a half a mind to chase after her and demand what's wrong, but another man came up to him.

"Let her go. She'll open up when she's ready." Kakashi told him calmly, his optics engrossed in his book.

Asuma took the cigarette from his mouth, exhaling a trail of smoke in the air as he and his best friend treaded down the streets. "I'm really worried about her, Kakashi. Kurenai, too, ever since we got back from the mission."

Kakashi nodded understandingly, flipping a page in his book. "I heard about that. Genma told me, who heard it from Shizune. You're not the only one that's worried about her, you know. Can I ask you a question, Asuma?"

"Yeah. What?"

The Copy Ninja peered his visible eye from under his book to look at this companion sternly. "On your mission, did you see any black markings on Anko's neck, any signs of the Curse Mark getting out of control?"

Asuma shook his head, his expression grim. "No, nothing at all. That thing is such a burden for her, isn't it? I feel sorry for her for she must be going through."

"I know how you feel. The Curse Mark isn't something you can just ignore, it needs to be watched over and studied after being contained." Kakashi shut his book and shoved it into his pouch. He gazed up at the blue sky, his thoughts rushing about how he treated Sasuke's Curse Mark with the Curse Sealing Jutsu a while back. "According from what I saw from Sasuke, the Curse Mark is a plague to the one who bears it, and are blessed with unimaginable power. But it's like a double-edge sword, the Curse Mark causes extreme pain to the owner, as well."

"And they can't control it?"

"If it was a choice, then it wouldn't be called a curse."

"…You're worried about Sasuke, aren't you?" Asuma guessed after a long pause of silence. "You don't think he's…dead, do you? That Orochimaru might've…?"

"If he did, then we would've heard something about it from Master Jiraiya by now." Kakashi inserted firmly, not wanting to jump to conclusions. He refused to admit that a student of his was gone forever. "If Sasuke was dead… Well, he isn't. There's no way Naruto would allow Sasuke to die without keeping his promise to Sakura first.

The dark-haired shinobi grunted lightly. "Yeah, I guess you're right. You know, you and Anko are a lot alike. Both of you seemed to have attachments to the past, or things that have…_passed on_." There was brief pause before he added in, "You miss Obito?"

"Every day." Kakashi admitted with hesitation. Sighing lazily, he clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder and poof away in a puff of smoke. "Later."

ஜ ~ ஜ

In the Sound Village in the Land of Rice Paddies, Sasuke roamed the dimly, candle-lit corridors of his current residence. He wasn't going to use the word 'home' to describe where he lives for the time being. That meaning has long been forgotten, he had discarded what a 'home' really was when he was seven years old—since _that_ bloody night occurred.

His hatred and fury spiked to dangerously level as the memories came crashing back into his head—the sight of his traitorous brother standing over his dead parents' bodies, the tears staining his shocked face, the _blood_, and most importantly, the fear he had felt that fateful night. It was the kind of fear he fiercely vowed never to show again—to anyone. This is why he was here in the snake's den, to grow stronger and defeat his worst enemy, his elder brother, Itachi Uchiha, for the massacre of the Uchiha clan.

He showed very faint surprise when he saw Kabuto coming down the hallway, the same direction that lead to Orochimaru's private quarters. He heard from Orochimaru that Kabuto was on an errand for him, and won't be turning for a few days. Sasuke knew he was doing another business run that meant collecting slaves, so he didn't expect him to be back for another day or so. It usually takes him five days to finish conducting his errand when he is out on a gathering new test subjects.

"Sasuke," the medic greeted with a dry half-smile, halting when he was only five feet away from the Uchiha child. "If you're going to see Lord Orochimaru for training, then you might as well head back to your room."

Sasuke narrowed his black eyes at him, angry that his training was being stalled. "Why?"

"Lord Orochimaru is going over some reports, so he doesn't have time to assist you with your training today."

The Uchiha boy huffed in frustration, pivoting around to go back to his room to meditate. Kabuto followed, walking side-by-side with him to head to his medical quarters for treatment of his sore cheek where Anko slapped him three days ago. He didn't have time to heal it on his way back, worried that one of the snake kunoichi's comrades might have decided to go after him when he dashed away from them when he finished his talk with her.

Sasuke's optics glanced at the silver-haired ninja's bruised cheek. "What happened to you?"

Kabuto looked at his lord's protégé with amusing eyes. "Worried?"

"Curious." the Uchiha grunted in annoyance, his voice curt and cold.

"Miss Mitarashi hit me when I disagreed with her during my mission."

"Hmm…" Sasuke remembered the violet-haired woman from the Chūnin Exams. From what he heard from the medic when he first arrived to the Village Hidden in the Sound, Anko Mitarashi was the first to survived the Heavens' Curse Mark and that she was once a student of Orochimaru's. "You ran into that woman during your mission?"

"I did, and I was then ordered to protect her by Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto replied casually. "She was…_reluctant_ for my help, but I had no choice in the end. It was a command from Lord Orochimaru, after all."

"Why does he waste his time on her?" the younger youth inquired, realizing that she might be the reason why his teacher was delaying his training. "Unless he has some genius plan with sleeping with the enemy, what is he doing?"

Kabuto wondered that himself, and when he asked his master, all he got as an answer was that she wasn't allow to die just yet. The Snake Sannin was a mysterious one, and he could never figure out what in the world why he was so interested with his former student when he should be focusing on training his next vessel. The Sound shinobi shrugged his shoulders slightly at the question. "I want to know the same thing myself."

Sasuke watched Kabuto turned down into another dark hallway, pausing to glare at his retreating back before he made his way to his room.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"So Amachi doesn't know anything?"

Anko strode down the gloomy halls of the Intelligence Division Headquarters, her head rising up when she heard a familiar voice talking to a much deeper one. She came to talk to Ibiki to see if they have gotten any intel on Orochimaru from his crazy subordinate, but it looks like Genma beat her to it. She came to a stop when she saw him and Ibiki standing outside a closed door.

Noticing her as she stepped up to them, the brown-haired Special Jōnin greeted Anko with a friendly, charming smile. "Hey there, Anko."

"Hey, guys." She inclined her head at the six-feet tall sadist, who gave her a simple nod in return. The snake kunoichi fixed her eyes on the toothpick-mouthed ninja, pointing a finger at him. "Genma, what're you doing here?"

"Ah, I'm just one a errand for Lady Hokage. She asked me to come and see if Ibiki was able to squeezed any information from the rat in that room." He gestured to the door they were standing outside of, and then snuffed his hands down into his pockets. "No luck, though. He doesn't know anything."

Anko hang her head down in disappointment, her bangs hiding her letdown eyes. "I see…"

"I take it you're here for the same thing." Ibiki commented.

"Uh, yeah…" She swiveled her heel and kept a slow stride as she went down the hallway with her two friends at her side. "I was hoping Amachi would know something, but I guess he didn't, after all."

"Sorry, Anko." Genma apologized to her; a sympathetic look crossed his face.

"It's okay." she lied, not wanting them to pity her for any reason whatsoever. "It can't be helped."

"Don't worry, we'll get information on Orochimaru soon enough." the sadist assured her, tapping her setting a comforting hand on her shoulder and then withdrew it back to his side. "Just be patient."

"Mm-hmm…" Anko nodded weakly, her eyes towards the ground.

Genma and Ibiki exchanged worried looks, gazing down at the sorrowful kunoichi between them. They knew Anko for a long time by working in the Chūnin Exams together and they could tell that the news of not finding any information about her former sensei had upset her.

There was a long, weird silence between the trio of Special Jōnin before Ibiki spoke up. "I wonder where that snake slithered away to."

"Hmph, knowing him, he'd probably just ventured into one his pits again for hiding." Anko piped up in a coarse tone.

"That sounds logical," the brown-haired Special Jōnin agreed, his toothpick flickering up and down in his mouth. "But where, exactly? Every time we think he got him cornered, he slips away."

"I doubt that it can make a difference whether we did find him or not," the sadist pointed out, shaking his head gravely. "His skills are way out of our league. His power is inhuman, something that surpassed the normal limitations of a shinobi. He's like a beast in human form."

Anko concurred mutely, nodding her head. Her mind was still spinning with questions about where Orochimaru was and what he is doing. She still has so many unanswered questions nagging her in the back of her brain. And God, the memories of their times together and what Kabuto's words came flashing swiftly inside her head. She remembered those peaceful, happy times, and she yearned for those sweet moments once more.

"It's okay to miss him, you know." Ibiki stated suddenly, shocking Anko out of her trance. Genma was also surprised by his abrupt insinuation, drifting his eyes back and forth between Ibiki and Anko to see what will happen next. He also knew about Anko's lingering feelings to her former sensei, it was obvious to everyone, even though Anko would try and hide it. She was good at bottling up her emotions, but those who were the closest to her could read her like a book.

"Ibiki…" The kunoichi was speechless; no words were able to form in her mouth at the moment.

"We all know that you were close to Orochimaru, so you don't have to pretend that you're not sad," he went on, his optics not meeting her startled brown eyes.

Anko furrowed her brows in a stern line, her anger glaring slightly at the suggestion that she held some sort of love to her teacher. "You're wrong, Ibiki. I don't miss him. He _used_ me and _betrayed_ me. All I want is him for him to die—by _my_ hands."

"Denial is the first step to grief, Anko." Ibiki told her in his rigid voice, his dark eyes locking on her angry ones. "The second: acceptance."

"Just _what_ are you trying to imply on me?" She sounded bitter, dangerously sharp.

"Anko," The interrogator halted in his tracks when the violet-haired kunoichi stopped to fold her arms over her chest, Genma standing behind her with an anxious expression. "Everyone in the village have accepted the fact that Orochimaru gone rouge, and everyone was devastated just as much as you were, but it seems to me that you haven't official accepted the fact _you_ missed him. We're all prepared to face Orochimaru when the time comes, but for you, it's different. Your motivation to chase after him is one that is driven by hate, and _that_ is a fatal mistake on your part."

Brown optics blazed with fierce defiance at him. "Is there a point to this? I want him dead as much you guys, so I don't see wh—"

"The point is, Anko, is that unlike us, you want to die alongside with him because you have some sort of lingering attachment to Orochimaru." Ibiki told her, clipping her off. Anko was taken aback, her eyes wide and her body froze at the sadist's statement. How did he know that? How did Ibiki know all of that, about her thoughts and feelings, which she had worked so hard on keeping them locked away in her soul for years?

Anko turned her back on him, incapable of denying about what he just said. She exhaled a quiet sigh before she darted out of the building and into the streets.

"Anko, hey!" Genma called after her, but she was already gone when he shouted those words. The Special Jōnin sighed in profound exhausted, pivoting his head to look at the huge, older man. "Was that _really_ necessary? You only made her feel worse."

"She needed to stop lying to herself." Ibiki responded calmly, slightly cold.

Genma studied his firm, unreadable face before he exhaled a tired breath again. "I know you act cold when you're worried about Anko, but telling her off about Orochimaru isn't exactly the way to get on her good side. You know how sensitive she is about it."

"And what do _you_ suggest we do about it?"

"I don't know, but I do know that I'd rather have her maudlin like last time rather having her angry at me." The brown-haired shinobi stiffened when he felt icy daggers being sent his way, and he felt chills crawling up his spine when he Ibiki's chilly optics penetrating him.

"What happened between you and Anko?" he inquired with his interrogating face back on. Genma tried to put into words, but he didn't understand much of it himself when he told the sadist the time when he comforted Anko when she was drunk on the night when the prelims were over.

"She just seemed…scared, at first…" he trailed off when he noticed Ibiki's firm glare changed with small panic across his scarred face, and then quickly added in, "Not of me! I didn't do anything bad to her. We just slept, that's all."

"Good." Ibiki said curtly, nodding understandingly.

The other man sighed in relief, and then continued on with distress laced in his words. "I saw a side of Anko I didn't think anyone would ever see. She looked terrified—lonely. Lately, Anko's sadness is becoming more transparent to everyone but her. I can almost feel it, you know, her sorrow. She does a good job to hide it, but it's obvious to me just how isolated Anko feels."

The scarred Special Jōnin nodded in agreement. "Anko is the type to do what she wants, and not care what anyone thinks. She acts brave and tough, but when it comes to Orochimaru, she runs away from like a frightened child and then she'll do something stupid that'll get her into trouble. Behind that rough exterior of hers, Anko is the type that acts like she wants be left of alone, when all she really needs is somewhere to stay by her side. If she lets that side show more often, Anko would never want to be alone again."

Genma grunted lightly, a small smile surfacing on his handsome face. "Yeah, but she's just too _stubborn_ to admit it. I wonder if there's anyone out there that Anko could be honest with for once in her life…"

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko sat on an empty table outside the Amaguriama store, her face plastered with a blank expression—hollow, like her soul. She only wished her mind was the same, her doubts and emotions contrasting themselves in her body to reach a point of reason she could move on from the aching questions that was thrumming inside her. She kept thinking about everything, starting with Kabuto's words that voiced Orochimaru's interest of keeping her alive. She wanted to know why—she had the _right_ to know, didn't she? She was glad that the Snake Sannin haven't completely discarded her from his thoughts, despite that it was might just his twisted way of fun for letting her live to play for more and not his genuine concern that wanted him to let her live. The recollection of their times together as sensei and pupil came racing inside her mind, plundering her hatred and sorrow back down into her stomach.

She didn't know how she should feel this way, and she didn't want to think what others would do if they found out her that she still loved her ex-mentor—how they will _look_ at her. Disgusted. Full of pity. Afraid to touch or go near her. She anguished at the thought of how her friends that she keeps pushing away will think of her like. But what can she do? Nobody would understand how she feels, how she _still_ felt about Orochimaru. Will they hate her, pity her, think that it caused by her naïve, childish adoration for her former sensei?

"If isn't it Anko! Long time no see!" came a jovial voice. Anko snapped herself out of her thoughts, jerking her head up see a jolly, long white-haired Sannin grinning down at her.

"Master Jir-Jiraiya…?" Anko stared at him at surprised. She didn't expect to see him here in the Leaf Village. Everyone knew he would occasionally leave the village to gather information about the Akatsuki and Orochimaru's movements. He was the kind of man that goes where he pleases, drifting along like the wind. He'd never stayed in one place for long, even in home that he loves so much with all his heart.

"Mind if I take a seat?" he asked hopefully.

Anko shook her head slowly, and the Mountain Sage planted himself next to her. She watched him ordered a plate of sweet dumplings and when he finished flirting with the female waitress, he turned his attention to the pretty kunoichi with violaceous hair.

"Tsunade told me what happened during your last mission," he began, his voice a little anxious. "I'm pretty sure things are going a pretty hectic for you for everyone who knows about it."

"Mm-hmm…" Anko beckoned her head, her optics expressionless. "I'm…under a lot of pressure right now."

The old hermit sighed as a calm wind wafted through the air. "I'm not gonna pretend I understand your feelings, but I can tell you the confusion you're feeling right now… It's perfectly normal; you don't have to be ashamed. It's okay if you feel something towards Orochimaru. He was your sensei."

"I know…" Anko mumbled quietly, but the words didn't make her feel all that better about herself. He didn't understand, not entirely. Her feelings…bordered on something beyond the normal feelings between student and teacher. "Master Jiraiya… Was there something else you wanted to speak to me about?"

"Do I really need a reason to spend a lovely afternoon with an equally lovely young lady?" The Toad Sage flashed her a huge smile, and Anko felt the corners of her mouth turned up to a small smile, silently appreciating his attempt to cheer her up. His smile formed into a solemn line, his eyes wavering with deep concern. "Tsunade told me what Kabuto said to you, from what Asuma and Kurenai said to her. You know, no one is in the position to force your hand. How you feel is up to you, _no one else_. So what Kabuto, Kurenai, or anyone else said to you this far…don't take it personally."

"…" Anko was silent as she brought her hand up to her Curse Mark, the only reminder of Orochimaru that he left her with before he—No, before _she _choose to leave him, refusing his offer. The Curse Mark didn't hurt, but when it didn't, pain still cut through her heart.

"Do you…worry about him?" Jiraiya inquired her, seriously. "I know you're in a hurry to go after him, so…"

"It's because I've been trying to survive… All I could do to bring him down…" Anko answered, her chest heavy with nostalgia of old forlorn feelings towards the Snake Sannin.

"There is something that I had wanted to ask you since you got your memories back, but…" the old hermit started reluctantly, uncomfortably. "It's all right if you don't want to answer, but… Did Orochimaru reached out his hand to you? Do you regret not going with him?"

Anko jumped at his query, her body tensed up in alarm. She was shocked that he could read her so well, despite not being around each other often. Why was it that everyone that was connected to her old sensei could suddenly know everything she is feeling by just looking at her, just like he does? There was a long stillness between the two of them until Anko dared speak the out the sentiments she kept closed shut in her soul. "That man… He knows everything about me… I want that as well…"

The Sannin nodded gently as gazed up at the indigo sky, watching the clouds and the birds flying about. "I see… You're in pain, too…" Another long, tensed silence stretched between them before he spoke again, "Do you regret not going to him when you had the chance? Are you happy here in the Leaf Village?"

"I…don't regret _not_ going with him, I don't think I can stand by and watch him cause destruction wherever he goes. It didn't matter whether or not if I did go with him, he would've betrayed me anyway, used me like I'm some kind of tool for his own selfish deeds." Anko replied, her voice was low and lamentable. "But at the same time, when I look at the Leaf Village, all I see is a beautiful cage. It makes me want to run before the trap closes on me."

Jiraiya showed little surprised to her admission. "So you're not happy here?"

"It's all I've ever known in my life. I was born and raised here by my parents; they died serving the village on a mission; it was here where I sought warmth from my friends; and I owe it to Lord Third Hokage for everything he did for me—the life he afforded me. He stood by side when Orochimaru left, and it was thanks to him I was even made this far in my life."

"That sounds like gratitude to me. " Jiraiya indicated to her, his shoulders shrugging mildly. "Nothing's wrong with that, but I asked if you were happy."

The snake kunoichi shot him a thoughtful look. "I am, I guess. Especially when Orochimaru came in my life. I was orphaned at a young age, and when he came…I felt so happy. He brought colors to my black and gray world—life, joy, hope, light. But then it was empty again when he abandoned the village. After that, my whole life turned upside down. I know how the village really feels about me and my loyalty because of the connection I had with Orochimaru, and no matter what I do—how much I keep my allegiance to the village and know my place—their opinion of me will never change. I can't tell you how much I wanted to scream. I just feel like I could explode under all this pressure, about me and…Orochimaru."

The Toad Sage exhaled a long sigh. "I know it's difficult to live here and love there, but you don't ha—"

"Stop it, please." Anko bolted from her seat swiftly, her hands in clenched fists and her body was trembling. She fumbled a feet forward, her back facing the Sannin as a chilly wind passed through them. "I don't love him, I…I never did. So can everyone stop saying that?"

She raced out of the Sannin's sight, moisture broke out from under eyelids. Jiraiya just watched her go, not even bothering to stop her. He understood how much she was hurting, how much she thought if time were to pass, the pain will get better, but it never did. He too felt that way when he tried to stop his former teammate from leaving the Leaf Village. After the pain, all he was left with a sense of helplessness and regret. However, unlike Anko, he wasn't planning to die along with him willingly.

Dieing to stop an enemy/friend and dieing to be together with that person in the afterlife are two different things. Anko have her old feelings for her sensei, the part of her still attached to the caring side of Orochimaru, the side that showed her kindness and acknowledgment when no one else did.

"I wonder if she would…" Jiraiya started to voice his doubts of her reliability to the village, but he pushed away his musings and ate quietly as his sweet dumplings finally arrived, enjoying how the sun warmed the air until it was nice and sweet.

ஜ ~ ஜ

_I don't want people talking about us! _Anko screamed inside her head, her cheeks flushed from the tears she shed. She kept her optics downward, not caring who she bumped into or their noisy complaints as she rushed through the streets to find solace in her apartment. She didn't want to hear it anymore, about her feelings and her relationship with Orochimaru. _I know best what Orochimaru means to me…._

In her haste, Anko felt one of ankle twisted beneath her and she stumbled, losing her balance. She fell hard on the dirt ground, the skin on her knees and palms broke, the flesh chewed up as the searing burns of her lacerations brought more tears to her face. The snake kunoichi surged up to her feet, wobbling as she resumed her stride back to her apartment.

Upon entering her home, she quickly headed for the kitchen and turned on the basin, rushing water pouring down into the sink as she stripped off her clothes onto the wooden floor until she stood there only in her black bra and panties. Her knees were bleeding the most, rivulets of crimson flowing down to her ankles.

She didn't know how many hours she took cleaning off the blood in her isolated kitchen. She ran another paper towel under the cold water and pressed it to her palms. Several other paper towels laid in the basin already, soapy and wet and stained pink and gray from her blood and the dirt. She saved her knees for last, attending to her bloodied hands first before moving to the abrasions on her kneecaps.

"Ow," Anko hissed, wincing in pain as she gingerly scrubbed off the blood off her. As she clean her injuries, she thought back to all of her talks to her friends and Master Jiraiya. She felt like a complete, utter fool, rushing away from everything her anger flared at the mention of her old sensei. She needed to make a mental note to apologize to them later for her distant behavior.

The snake kunoichi returned her attention on tending to her scraped knees, dabbing the damped paper towel over the opening of her cuts, watching as a thick line of blood run down the slender curve of her right leg. A wave of calmness awash over her as her breath ceased for the moment, her eyes locked on the rivulet of the red liquid. The sight of blood soothed in a strange way, it always had.

It was an odd sensation she gained while under Orochimaru's tutelage. She was always used to seeing blood when she trained, and it would only take a small cut to ease her when she was built up with her feelings and pressure. Maybe it was because it gave her determination to get back up and fight and get stronger so she could never see another scratch on her body, a cut that reminded of her of a careless mistake due to her weakness. She vowed she would never show weakness again, not in front of anyone.

Or maybe it was because it was from the bloodthirsty nature she had inherited from Orochimaru, another piece of him implanted into her being. After all, he was the one who taught her how to enjoy the sight of blood, and its taste and smell. It didn't take long for her younger self to get used to revel in the essence of blood. Sure, when she got hurt it, it stung a bit, but as her blood pumped out from her wounds and saw the stream of sweet, glossy blood dripped down her skin, Anko hadn't felt panic or fear.

She'd felt fascination, quickly followed by the incredible sense of…peace. A memory came back to her, a time when she and Orochimaru shared a rather…pleasurable moment together when she was young.

It started out as a serene moment between teacher and student, a young Anko sitting under the shade of a tree, munching down of her homemade lunch she made for herself. Her sensei was next to her, observing with rapt attention in his slitted, golden optics. Once and while, his serpent-longed tongue would come out and licked his lips, captivating her with its unusualness.

He was different from others—always strange, but interestingly beautiful. His skin was as pale as snow, contrasting strikingly with his long ebony, silky hair. His eyes were that of amber hues, surrounded by purple markings running down the sides of his nose. And his fangs…those elongated, pretty white teeth fascinated her; her curiosity piqued when she saw them.

So on that day, she cautiously raised her index finger to his mouth, and of course, he didn't refused her. He welcomed her approach and opened his mouth wider until the pad of skin met the tip of one of his fangs. He gently lowered the top of his mouth down, his fang pricking the fleshy pad of her finger until blood tickled down.

The young Anko's cheeks heated up when his entire mouth closed around her finger, his tongue running over her luxurious blood slowly, savoring the rich, enticing taste. Anko had shivered at the contact, excited and more than a little frightened at being so close to her sensei. It almost as if she was receiving a indirect kiss from the man she had loved so much, and she guessed he was showing her that he felt the same way. It was just wishful thinking; the young kunoichi decided on that conclusion that day. Orochimaru let go of her hand wordlessly when he was done and then suggested they continued training for the rest of that day. Ever since that time, young Anko never got that…intimate with him again.

Anko clicked out of her journey down memory lane when an erotic mental image burned instantly in the back of her mind: Orochimaru's lips pressed hungrily against her skin, his long pink tongue lapping at her, his hot mouth drawing blood deeply from the vein in her neck, on the exact same spot where he sunk his teeth on her all those years ago. And all the while, she was underneath him, writhing so passionately with ecstasy she thought she would shatter into million shards of white-hot sensation.

The purple-haired woman violently jolted out her most yearning desire, jumpy and anxious as a cat. Just thinking about her and Orochimaru made her melt, as if fire was roaring through her body. It shocked her so much on how _badly_ she wanted him, how she wanted to see those molten gold orbs penetrating her with a devastatingly, smoldering gaze as he pressed his body against hers until their hips flushed together.

Did she really miss him that much? No, she assured herself in her denial, she didn't miss him. She didn't want to, not after everything he had done to her and the Leaf Village. And yet…why did she keep enduring this aching pain in her heart?

She needed a sense of tranquility again, and _now_. Her head was pounding from today's events, and her breathing was shallow. She wanted peace, even just a few minutes would do.

Anko's gaze followed to the ninja pouch she placed in the heap of her clothing, and reached inside until she found what she was looking for: a kunai knife. A surge of dark anticipation and shame came rushing into her as she brought the knife to her bare arm. Without a single minute's delay, she pressed the tip of the kunai into her flesh firmly, a trail of crimson blood moved gracefully down her arm, unknown to her that she just had embraced her private, miserable demon as she did.

When she pulled back, she caught her reflection on the metallic blade and she hardly recognized the image of the drawn and sorrowful face that was staring back at her, her optics weary and haunted. She gasped in horror, throwing the kunai in her sink, letting it clattered in there. She backed away and ran into her room, crying her heart out to the man her heart still lingered for to this day.

"Orochimaru…"


	7. Fleeting, Unrequited Love

Ibiki rapped his knuckles against Anko's apartment door again. He came (forced by Genma) to apologize to Anko for earlier today. It was nighttime and he stood outside her residence for at least ten minutes already, waiting for her to open the door. She wasn't answering, so he kept trying. He knocked on the door once more, banging more loudly this time.

Still no response.

The sadist sighed tiredly, feeling ready to give up. He'd at least expected her to swing the door open and curse him off for making her feel worse about her relationship with her former sensei, but he heard absolutely no movements from inside Anko's apartment. It was quiet. Too quiet. But Ibiki knew she was in there, though. Before coming here, he checked out the Sweet Dumpling Shop she would visit frequently everyday, and the Forest of Death, the overly grown dark forest that provided her with some sort of creepy comfort that he was never capable of understanding.

His hand reached for the doorknob, and he was surprised he was able to twist it open. Why wasn't her door locked? Didn't she know someone would easily break in if she was away, or someone could come and assassinate her in her sleep? It wasn't like Anko; she was always a precautious one.

Ibiki entered, softly shutting the door closed behind him. He froze when he saw blood on the wooden oak floor, a trail of it leading into the kitchen and into her bedroom. A bitter tang of fear cut through him when he thought of the possibilities that Anko could have been attacked by someone or something. The salty-iron smell of blood lost its potent odor somewhat, but it continued to linger in the air like a fog.

"Anko?" The interrogator strode deeper into her home, following the path of crimson liquid into her kitchen. He was disturbed when he saw the pile of wet and stained paper towels clumped in her basin, her clothes lying in a heap on the floor. There was kunai in her sink too, the tip of the blade coated in Anko's blood. This place looked like someone was trying to clean a murder scene and did a poor job at it.

Ibiki made a quick stride to her bedroom door, rattling the latch vigorously to get it open. "Anko, are you in there?"

There was still no response. Growling in frustration, he raised his large foot to the door and kicked it open by force, his dark optics instantly meeting the darkness of her silent room. He switched the light on, the blackness fading as brightness overcame it. Ibiki walked over to her bed and saw her blue with white stripes blanket stained _red_, with _her_ blood.

Moving closer to the adjacent bathroom in her room, he found her curled up in the middle of the marble floor, her legs drawn up to her chest and her head buried within the circle of her arms that rested on her knees. She was nearly naked, dressed in only modest black bra and underwear. She jerked her head up at his crash arrival, her eyelids heavy and puffy from her recent crying. After running to her bed to shed tears, she came into her bathroom to finish her sobbing, and Ibiki noted that she must have been in here for along time. She looked so small and vulnerable as exhaustion poured off her in waves.

"Anko, are you all right?" The sadist didn't bother turning on the light in the bathroom, some of the brightness was shining from her bedroom and allowed him to see the snake kunoichi partly in the dark. He sauntered to closer to her, couching down to her side. "Did somebody hurt you? Why are you in here?"

Anko didn't answer him. She shook her head slowly, bringing her hands to eyes to wipe the tears streaked down her tired face. She pushed her bangs up her forehead as she sighed sorrowfully, her throat tight. "I'm okay, just tired… I needed peace, quiet."

The male Special Jōnin opened his mouth to speak, but that immediately turned into a low gasp when he spotted something troubling in the dark. He saw a series wounds on her kneecaps, palms, and a few tiny razor-cuts on her elbows. The marks were tiny slices, but they made Ibiki's blood run cold at the sight of them.

"These are…" He extended a hand to pull her arm into the where the light was shining from her bedroom, but Anko yanked her hand away from him, retreating away further in the darkness as if he was some kind of disease.

The violet-haired woman stopped when she was in the corner, tremors coursing throughout her body as she shook violently. "Don't, Ibiki, just don't…"

He wanted to press questions on her, like the interrogator he was, but he didn't have to. Judging by the way she acting, he could see the story telling itself to him as he stared at her trembling form in the blackness.

"You did this to yourself, didn't you…?"

"No!" she shouted angrily, her voice faltering when she saw the stern glare he was sending at her. She clutched her arms to her closely, hiding the cuts she made. It wasn't just the tiny slice she made when she first needed to feel peace. She needed more calmness, so she took another kunai knife and scrapped it along her elbows until they were a series of cuts marred on her arms. "Not all of them…"

Through with her hiding, Ibiki came to her and took her arm, dragging her out of the bathroom and roughly shoving her down on the bed. Her back hit the soft covers and she was then yanked up again, Ibiki gripping her wrist as he examined the lacerations on her arms and palms.

"You did this to yourself," he started, profound fury shadowing his eyes. "_Why_?"

She pulled away from his tight grip with a ferocity that surprised him a little. She plunged under the covers, shielding her figure from his inspection. "Can we drop this? I really don't want to talk about it."

"Maybe you should."

Anko glared furiously at him, her meek shell cracking to show her tougher self. "You wouldn't understand."

"What wouldn't I understand, Anko?" inquired her concerned friend that wore the face of a fearless, ruthless sadist. "That you needed to hurt yourself?"

"I didn't do it because I wanted pain, it wasn't painful to me." She drew in a long breath before she continued in a gentle voice. "I wasn't burying traumatic memories or anything. I cut myself because…bleeding soothed me; it was calming to me. I didn't even cut myself that much; they were tiny cuts. They weren't very deep, and the rest of the wounds I got are from when I fell and scraped myself on the ground. But whether I got hurt on purpose or on accident, the sight of blood helped me feel normal, like everything strange around me would vanish, along with all the pressure I was feeling."

She kept her defiant eyes on his unwavering, cold gaze. Oddly enough, she felt like a heavy burden was lifted off her shoulders, like a new gate was leading her down a road where she can be free—where she could be herself, and not care what people think of her.

After a long pause, Ibiki nodded his head understandably. "I see…"

"I'm not crazy, if that's what you're thinking."

"I'm not thinking that at all." he answered sincerely.

"I despise pity."

"I know you do. So do I." He picked up on the quiet, deadly warning in her words.

"Good. Then get out."

"No," Ibiki objected. "We have to treat those injuries of yours before they get infected. And don't think of saying no to me. Just remember: I'm just as stubborn as you are."

Anko stared at him and wanted to protest, but she sighed in exasperation and allowed herself to be taken care of by her friend. After a few minutes, Ibiki sat on the snake kunoichi's bed, tending to her wounds. His touch was kind and warm to beautiful purple-haired woman, who was still in a delicious state of near nudity. If it weren't for her lacerations on her lithe figure, she would match the image of a dark goddess. She would look perfect in complete, exposed nudity if the ebony brassiere and panties weren't in the way. Still, they revealed the creamy swells of her buxom and the taut muscles of her toned abdomen.

"You know," Anko began after twenty minutes of stillness between them. "You never told me why you here."

The male Special Jōnin transferred his optics from her bloodied palms to glance at her for a moment, his expression unreadable. "I came to apologize for earlier."

"Oh," was all she said in a low tone. There was another awkward silence between them before she added, "It's okay. I'd overreacted."

"I'm used to it." She kept her head down to look as he wrapped her palms in bandages he found in her bathroom cabinet. She didn't need to look at him to see the barest of smiles on his lips; she could hear it clearly in his voice. "I know you don't trust people easily, Anko, after what happened with—"

"You're right," the snake kunoichi, her mouth twisting with distaste at the near mentioned of her former sensei's name. "I don't trust people easily, but even if I didn't, I'd still like my solitude."

"Everybody does."

"But you know with me it's different, right…?" The question slipped out her tongue before she could chain it up. She didn't want to ask him that, she didn't want to hear his smart mouth telling her that she was as weak she appeared to him right now.

However, she got her answer as he nodded. "Yes."

"Good." Anko rubbed the back of her neck with her now bandaged up hand, turning her strong gaze to face him with full force. "I don't trust easily. Please don't betray me."

There were simple words, but powerful too. It was peculiar to hear such words from Anko, who doesn't like to relay on anyone or anything. She was one who faces the world with energy and passion; a confident grin plastered on her smooth lips, a sharp-whipped tongue at her disposal at anytime, but under all of that layer of valiant hides a woman with flaws and weaknesses just like anyone else. The six-foot tall shinobi was silent as she went on, rambling to herself more than him.

"I keep to myself, I like spending most of my time alone. I only have a close circle of friends that you're involved in, Ibiki, but I could never be comfortable enough to share my thoughts and feelings with you. Do you understand? There are things I want to keep to myself, and not want you guys to pry on me to find answers."

When she was done, Ibiki let out a light chuckle, finishing bandaging the wounds on her knees. "You _are_ a mysterious one, aren't you?"

Anko shot him an inquisitive look, bewildered by his question that sounded more like comment. "What do you mean?"

Uncharacteristic of him, he extended a hand and lovingly to touch the side of her face, tucking a few tendrils of her purple hair behind her ear. "I can't figure you out sometimes. You said you wanted to be alone, but it also seems like you just want someone to be near you, to support you and comfort you. Or that's what Genma seems to think."

Anko withdrew from his caress, moving back on her bed. "I'm not a mystery, I'm just…me."

Yes, that's all, Anko confirmed firmly. She was a woman who preferred solitude over to company, keeping her distance from anyone who would fear her or would be afraid of her connection to Orochimaru. She was as strong as steel, and she was happy with that fact, but she felt empty inside—like there was a void in her heart, the piece that carried the most passionate emotion in a woman above anything else: Love.

Part of her was glad that shard of her being was gone, not wanting to feel love ever again. She didn't want to get heartbroken for a second time, not from anyone. She hated that part of herself—the foolish, childish part of her that clung to a love towards her sensei she knew that was unrequited. However, it was because he was the one that tore that part of her that she still probably felt her these emotions to him. It was if Orochimaru took her shattered heart and kept it with him, never to be return again. Even if she were to find a man who would cherish her and care for her with gentleness, that love would be fleeting. She could never experience that sort of fervor intensity of emotion ever again, not with someone who wasn't Orochimaru.

Ibiki eyed her observantly, almost reading her like a book. He saw her sadness, her anger, her hatred, her longing, her pain, her unrequited love—all of it directing towards one man, the person she would ever want to love in her entire life. He wondered when there will be a day a man, besides the one she desires, would pop in her life and break down the barriers she built to protect herself from getting hurt, allowing someone to treasure like the jewel she was. Maybe, one day, _he_ could…

"I better get going." He stood up from the edge of the bed.

Anko tried to give him a thankful smile over her anguish face. "Okay, then. Thanks for helping me. Don't tell anyone, okay?"

The sadist pivoted around to give her a slow nod. "All right."

"Thanks for everything tonight." The violet-haired woman accompanied him to the door. He opened it and let the cool night breeze hit her nearly naked skin. Slowly, Anko snaked her arms around his neck and tiptoed to plant a small, warm kiss to his scarred cheek. Ibiki looked astonished as she retreated, her cheeks flushed with a pink tint. "Thank you, Ibiki. I mean that."

"It's nothing." Ibiki replied, smiling slightly at his…friend. She was his friend. But somehow, she knew his words were a lie, and he did too. It wasn't just 'nothing' to them.

It was something _much_ more.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Were you able to find anything out?" Tsunade didn't look up from her pile of paperwork on her desk, the lights to her office still on. Standing outside one of the windows to the Hokage Tower, Jiraiya shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest with his back against the building.

"Nope, nothing we don't know already. It's obvious how much Anko is tormented with her feelings, but there shouldn't be any reason why you should be worried. Anko knows the difference between right and wrong, so it's not necessary to send me to check on her. Even if she still has feelings for Orochimaru, what would be the point? He would end up using the poor girl again."

The Fifth Hokage agreed. "I know, but I still can't help but be concerned for one of my girls. I had hoped that her adoration for Orochimaru would be gone, but it hasn't diminish after all this time."

"Well, it isn't _wrong_ for her to be sad about it. We _all_ trusted him, we knew him longer and better than Anko did." The Toad Sage gazed up at the night sky, the stars glistening like diamonds. "It took me a long time to get over it, too, you know. He was our friend, and he betrayed us, but even then..."

"I know, I miss him, too, but for Anko…" The female Sannin let out a deep sigh of frustration, her pen faltering slightly. "For Anko, it seems like she haven't let go of her emotions yet, for Orochimaru. It's almost like she's purposely hurting herself with that part of her that holds her sentiments for him. We have already let go of those because we knew that would cloud our decision when the time comes to kill him. But for her, she wishes to die _alongside_ him. That's no way for someone to live their life."

"That's true," muttered the white-haired hermit.

"I don't even know why she would even cling to those feelings of hers." Tsunade dropped her pen on her desk and leaned back in her chair, feeling a headache coming on. "After what he did, I'd figured that she would hate him. What that snake did to Anko was much worse than him betraying us. He _used_ her, Jiraiya, and yet she still cares for him."

Another stillness swamped them from reminiscing about the depressing past before Jiraiya spoke up. "I told Anko that I won't pretend to know how she feels and that's the truth, but I do know the bond between student and teacher goes deep. Anko was an orphaned and it was Orochimaru who looked after her, so that leads me to believe that no matter what he does to her, Anko will always have some sort of affection for him because Orochimaru was one of the first people to care for her. Though she claims she hates him, she does care for him, like she always did. She'd forgotten that in order to hate, you have to love first. However, because she still loves and hate him is the reason why she can't stop caring about him."

"That's love for you," Tsunade stated, a grim smile spreading across her face. "Anko's sentiments for Orochimaru are in vain, I hope she knows that. He won't return her feelings; he's not capable of love. Maybe she could forget him if she finds someone else—a man—to care for her."

The Toad Sage let out a cheerful laugh from outside. "I'm sure that'll be easy for her with her looks. She's a real beauty, I'll tell you that much!"

"Yeah, but she would most likely reject anyone who comes her way." The blond woman stood up from her seat and walked over to the window where her friend was the closest. The cold night air kissed her warm skin and she breathed it in, reveling how it calmed her stressed head. "I've seen girls like Anko before. Whatever feelings she would give to any man would probably be fleeting, just as unrequited as her love for Orochimaru is."

"Yeah, well…we'll just have to see what the end results would be. No use worrying about it." Jiraiya moved off the building and returned to his full height. "What that kid with the glasses, Kabuto, said still worries me. If Asuma and Kurenai's reports were true, Orochimaru is playing toying with Anko's feelings. It's odd that he would go to such lengths to keep her safe. He's obviously planning something, so I keep an eye out when I'm on the road again."

"You're leaving?" Tsunade cast a surprised look at him, her hazel optics filled with concern for her former teammate. "You just got back."

"Duty calls. See you, Tsunade. Take care of yourself." The hermit flashed her a wide grin, a cloud of smoke engulfing his form and then he disappeared, leaving the blond woman to stared at the spot where he stood for a long time. She hopped through her window and stood on the slope of the Hokage Tower, exhaling as the wind wafted through her. A pair of amber orbs peered through the trees near the tower, and it was only then Tsunade sensed _his_ presence.

Whirling around, she shouted at the intruder in her village. "Come out, coward!"

The snake's chuckle came out as a hiss of amusement as he slithered out from his hiding spot, plopping himself on a branch to properly face his former teammate. The corners of his lips were curved up into a smirk; his hypnotic golden optics stared at her with malice that darkened with his wicked aura. "I'm impressed you were able to notice me, Tsunade."

"What do you want, Orochimaru?" The Slug Princess shifted her stance, prepared to defend herself if the Snake Sannin chooses to attack. "I've noticed that you've been appearing here a lot lately, especially around Anko. What kind of twisted game are you playing with her?"

"What happens between me and _my_ Anko has nothing to do with you." Orochimaru answered, folding his arms over his chest, his arrogance profound.

Tsunade grunted, irritated. "She doesn't belong to you. She isn't some plaything you can cast aside and then play with again for your own amusement, so quit talking rubbish."

"Or you'll do what?" he taunted her slyly, but the Fifth Hokage didn't take the bait. Instead, she countered with a question of her own.

"What your henchman said to Anko during her last mission… According to two of my shinobi, they heard Kabuto mentioned that he was acting under _your_ orders to keep her safe. Why, are you bored tinkering with your sick experiments?"

"I prefer my possessions unsullied." The Snake Sannin's smirk broadened when he saw anger flaring in the female Sannin's optics, furious how he referred to one of her ninja as a _thing_. "And as I'd said before, what happens between me and Anko has nothing to do with you."

"You're just toying with her again, that's obvious enough." Tsunade curled her right hand into a fist as she applied her chakra to it, posed to strike at the opportune moment. "It concerns me if you're messing with one of _my_ girls. I don't want Anko to get the wrong image from you again. You made her feel like she was special, but that was only a ruse to gained her trust and test your Curse Mark on her. I won't allow that to happen again. Don't hurt her, don't make her cry anymore."

A bittersweet chortle bubbled up from his pale mouth at her words. "You say such hypocritical words, Tsunade, when it is you and your precious village that is causing her deep sorrow. It isn't me this time." There was a pause until his chuckle ceased, and then he added in a dark tone, "You wish to know why I am here, yes? I came to deliver a personal message to you and this pathetic village: Anko is mine, and I won't allow you or anyone else to take her away from me. She is very a special woman; she _is_ the first survivor for my Curse Mark. Everything about Anko belongs to me, so the only person who can make her cry will only be _me_."

"You are cruel, aren't you? Haven't you destroyed enough of her life already?" Tsunade's temper blazed with fierce intensity, raising her chakra infused fist threateningly in the air. "You're just showing up because you know that Anko still hold feelings towards you, and you're using that to torment her."

"Anko's heart belongs to me, I have no intention to give it back." Icy, amber orbs stared at Tsunade, laced with dark possessive for his sweet girl. "No one else is to have it."

"You don't control her life, you wretch! You're only doing this so Anko won't move on from you. But what's the point in that? You don't even return her feelings!" the blond Sannin bellowed in fury. "You are happy only because you're liked by her. And therefore, you find her special... But if you think she would have only _you_ in her heart forever, then you are completely wrong. A man who will always stay at your side to care for you is much better than a lover. Compared to a man, who don't respond at all, no matter how much you love him."

He frowned at that statement. He knew it was true after observing how all of Anko's male friends have some attraction to her, though their love in oblivious and unrequited by the snake kunoichi. Still, though he hated to admit it, what the blond kunoichi told him was right. Most of it, anyway.

Even if a male would to be jilted by Anko as lover, it doesn't mean that male won't stop being close to her and care for her. If that were to happen, Anko's love for Orochimaru might start fleeting away in oblivion, and he couldn't have that. Anko is his, despite the fact that he did let her go during that time in the Land of the Sea. He always held a sort of…higher affection of his old apprentice; he just didn't show it often. He found Anko special, very special.

"You know nothing about us," Orochimaru hissed darkly at her, forming a hand sign and purple flames engulfed him, vanishing from sight.

"Damn him…" Tsunade murmured, clenching her fist tightly to the point they dug into her skin and blood dripped down from the spot she stood.

ஜ ~ ஜ

The Snake Sannin snuck inside her bedroom through the window quietly, shutting it behind him to stop the cold air from entering. The lights were off, but he didn't need them to see the dully-decorated room that belonged to his old apprentice. His eyes adjusted well to the darkness as he inched closer to the bed, his dear student snuggled cozily in the blanket.

His amber optics narrowed when he noticed that her blanket had dark-colored stains on them—the color of blood. He inhaled, the scent of her spicy and sweet blood invading his nostrils, confirming that she was indeed injured. The smell was faint, but the scent of blood could never escape him. He knew that aroma all too well, and relished in its taste, smell and sight.

Orochimaru knelt down at the bedside, his fingers brushing Anko's violet bangs away from her eyes. She stirred at the contact, but did not wake up. The blanket covered her entire body until it reached her shoulders, her fingers peeking out from underneath it from the top.

Lightly lifting it, the pale-skinned man's optics widened slightly when he saw bandages wrapped around her hands, arms and legs. Did someone did this to her, or was it her own doing? He's been keeping an eye on her since her last mission, watching and observing as she interacted with her friends. He saw the pressure she faced with all of their suspicious questions about her feelings about him, and the inner agony she was struggling with herself over him. Seeing her figure in this condition, he assumed correctly that her lacerations were self-inflicted wounds, ones that she made on herself in a foolish attempt to ease her stress.

The snake kunoichi wore nothing but her undergarments to bed, which he found odd, knowing Anko preferred to sleep in her mesh bodysuit. His carried his fingertips over the bandages, grazing them softly over her hidden wounds. Anko mumbled in her sleep then, her mouth turning down into a sad frown. She was having a dream again—another nightmare. Smirking sadistically, he trailed down a finger down her smooth cheek, repeating his actions the last time he was in her bedroom, alone with his precious girl. Would it be wrong of him to enjoy seeing her like this—so weak and vulnerable—because of him?

"At last, you became a woman to my liking, didn't you?" he whispered gently in her ear, drinking in her succulent scent. She smelt the same as before, like sweet rain and exotic flowers. A hunger glint shimmered in his amber hues, his digits caressing the lovely blue veins down the graceful column of her throat. "I wonder if you taste as good as you smell…"

The idea of him and his fiery ex-student together—their naked bodies joined, sheened with sweat, as he kissed her heatedly, her fingers tangled in his glossy black strands, with him burying his fangs into the tender curve of her neck as he thrust into her core, and Anko was writhing beneath him with intense passion, her arms wrapped around him—had crossed his mind more than once.

Thinking about Tsunade's words, he shook his head at the half-truth she hollered at him earlier tonight. Yes, he did come here to see his old pupil again, but it wasn't because he was toying with her since he knew about her romantic feelings for him, which Anko assumed he didn't return. No, that part was lie. He did feel something towards her, but he wasn't exactly sure what it was.

Was it a possessive male's protectiveness? The fondness he felt for her when she was his student? Or was it his wicked personality that keeps drawing him to her, yearning to play her like a toy, with him directing the puppet strings? Maybe it was all of the above?

His Anko was always special, in the matter of strength and her fiery emotions she'd always displayed around people, along with her extraordinary looks and skills. Even when she was just starting out as a kunoichi, he always thought of her as the ultimate honey trap when she younger while under his tutelage. She possessed the power to be a brilliant female ninja, alluring men to her with strength and looks. She was strong and beautiful—his dear little Anko. Orochimaru knew talent when he saw it, and he was never wrong.

_Never_.

The many feminine wiles that she has were proven during her last mission to shut down Seiteki Zattō's sex traffic operation. He was extremely displeased after hearing Kabuto's report on how a low life like that idiotic crime lord put his filthy lips on his pure Anko. He was glad he gave Kabuto the order to kill him off the first chance he got and to protect the purple-haired woman from that pervert. No one is allowed to touch Anko, except for _him_. Anko was _his_ possession, _his_ woman, and _absolutely no one_ will take that right from him.

Men can stare and pursue Anko all they want, but she will never return their feelings. When he first heard that Anko was within Seiteki's castle from Kabuto, before the medic came into the room he requested to have her in, the very concept of Anko losing her maidenhood to a scum like that made his blood boiled. He didn't care what Kabuto had to do to keep her safe, just as long as he did it.

"Sensei…" Her sleepy mumble snapped him out of his musings. Perspiration broke out of her forehead and her heartbeat became audible to his ear that was close to her nearly exposed bosom. Her eyelids twitched like she was trying to break free from her dreamland, her fingers curling and un-curling repeatedly like she was attempting to grab onto something. Anko's mouth parted, air flowing into her lungs as she panted in ragged gasps, her body trembling.

"Wake up, Anko…" Orochimaru smirked, forming a hand sign to jolt her out of her sleep and then he slithered out of the room. The snake kunoichi bolted up in her bed in shock, her heart beating against her ribcage painfully as her chest became too tight, disabling her to breathe properly. She glanced around her small bedroom frantically, her brown orbs searching for the man she thought she'd sensed in her sleep.

When she was about to conclude that it was just her mind playing tricks on her again, the Curse Mark made its presence known to her, unbearable affliction rippled throughout her body.

Anko seized her seal with her hand, groaning between gritted teeth. "Ugh… This thing is killing me…"

The Curse Mark is resonating too strongly, as if he was actually here. She perused at the chances that her former mentor could be nearby the Leaf Village. There was no way he'll show his face around here this soon after his joint invasion with the Sand, but still…

"It wouldn't hurt to make sure," she declared out loud, throwing the blanket off her and slipped on her clothes. When her coat came on, her eyes fell on the photo of her and Orochimaru on her shelf. Brown optics wavered with hesitation at what she was about to go do, but she shook her head vigorously, brushing off her doubts. "I can do this…"

And with that reassurance, Anko dashed out her apartment door and towards the direction where there Curse Mark was reacting to the strongest. It wasn't long until she found herself at the Forest of Death, the last place where she and Orochimaru met face-to-face. She halted on a thick branch, her optics scanning the eerie environment carefully. She grimaced when the Curse Mark vibrated its waves of pain through her body again, clutching it as she glanced around the area to find any signs of her former mentor.

"I'm losing my mind…" The snake kunoichi pushed her bangs out of her eyes as she sighed in exhaustion, pivoting her heel to head back to her apartment. She felt like a fool, coming out to the Forest of Death in the middle of the night, hoping she would see her ex-mentor again. It was a ridiculous decision to come out here based on a guess—a waste of time.

As she left, Orochimaru smiled in satisfaction, obscured within the trees while he watched his student head home. She came to him, as he suspected. What a good girl, he thought, pleased that he saw that Anko haven't stopped chasing after him. She will _always_ go to him. And one day, she will stay by his side, the place where she rightfully belonged. Maybe not now, but soon—very soon.

"Anko, my dear, you will be mine…" he vowed, his words echoing around the creepy forest. With that promise in mind, he leaped off the tree, slipping back into the shadows until tomorrow.

He will show Anko a sweet dream the next night…

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Welcome, how may I help you today?" asked a chipper voice as Anko entered the Yamanaka Flower Shop the next morning. Ino lifted her head from the cash register at the counter; gasping slightly when she saw the snake kunoichi came inside her family shop. A gleeful smile bloomed on her bright, beautiful face as she waved excitedly at the older woman. "Anko-sensei, welcome!"

The violet-haired woman strode slowly to the counter with a small smile on her lips. "Hey, kid. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, it has." Ino replied cheerfully, clasping her hands together in anticipation. "So, are there any flowers in particular you're looking for?"

"Um…" The Special Jōnin gazed around at flora that the store have in stock. There were so many flowers to choose from and all of them were blossomed to its fullest. There were roses, lilies, daffodils, and so many other exotic blooms that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world.

Noticing her indecision, Ino came from behind the counter and gestured to many of the flowers in the shop. "If you're buying flowers for a person in the hospital, then I would recommend the daffodils. They make excellent get-well flowers, and the tulips too. Or if you were buying flowers as a gift to someone, I would choose the red and yellow roses. You know, if you put the two together, they symbolize joy and happiness. But if you don't want those, them maybe you wou—"

"Slow down, kiddo." Anko interrupted her suggestions streak, smiling good-naturedly at the blond girl. Ino's cheeks blushed bright pink in embarrassment, but she retained a bashful smile on her youthful face. "I'm picking flowers for a grave."

The Genin's smile faltered slightly. "A grave? Are you heading to the cemetery, then?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if you're going to put flowers down on a grave, then white lilies would be the best choice, since they mean purity. Will those be okay?"

The snake kunoichi nodded her head. "Yeah, they'll do. Can you wrap them up for me in a bouquet?"

"Great! I'll got get them for you!" Ino beamed happily, running to the back of the store and then came back, producing a bouquet of white lilies for the violet-haired woman. "Here you go."

"Thanks." She took them from the blond girl with one hand, reaching into her coat to pull out some ryō. "How much?"

"Consider it a gift, for protecting me throughout our mission in the Land of the Sea. I owe you one, Anko-sensei." the Yamanaka child smiled broadly, returning to her spot behind the counter.

"Well, if you insist." The Special Jōnin extended a hand to pat the Genin's golden crown. "I'll see you around. You keep training hard."

"I will. Good day to you, Anko-sensei!" Ino waved at the older woman as she exited the flower shop, the snake kunoichi giving her a small salute in return before she left. Another customer walked in, an old woman, and Ino greeted her with a welcoming smile, getting back to work. "Welcome, Miss, how may I help you today?"

ஜ ~ ஜ

Kneeling before the large flame-shaped tombstone, Anko placed the flowers in front of it and closed her eyes, praying for the deceased Third Hokage that was buried here. With everything that have happened to her in the last few days, about her and Orochimaru, she wanted to visit the gravesite of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the great and affectionate shinobi that gave up his life in order to stop her former sensei's attack upon the Leaf Village.

She thought by coming here, she'd be reminded of the terrible things Orochimaru have done, of the hundred of lives he used to conduct his cruel experiments when he was still a ninja of the village, and the heartbroken ache that had squeezed her chest tightly when he left her. By coming here, she thought her hatred for him would rise and she would discard the remnants of her love for him, casting them aside to focus on the goal she'd set for herself the minute he left the village: To kill him.

"Anko."

A smooth male's voice broke her depressing thoughts of her ex-mentor, swiveling her head around to see the famous Sharingan Copy Ninja standing down at the stone steps that lead to the former Hokage's grave. Kakashi stared up at her with his visible eye with his hands in his pockets.

She stood back up on her feet, turning her head back to the grave as he climbed up the steps to stand next to her. "Kakashi. What're you doing here?"

"Same as you. I was visiting a grave here." he answered her, looking at the flame-shaped tomb with a nonchalant expression. "So, how've you been?"

Anko shifted her body uncomfortably, averting her head to the opposite direction to avoid seeing the silver-haired Jōnin. "Fine."

Kakashi studied her for a long moment, knowing quite well that she was lying. "Is that so? Well, if you ask me, it seems that you've been a bit down lately."

"So what?" Her voice turned softly bitter, almost brittle. She was still mad at him from during the Chūnin Exams, for not heeding her warning about Sasuke. If he had only listened to her, maybe Sasuke wouldn't be with Orochimaru right now. And besides, the last thing she needed right now is someone else poking their nose into her business. She appreciated her friends' concern, but with the way she is now, it'll only be a matter of time until she hurts someone—someone she cares about. She turned, her back facing him. "Why would _you_ care what happens to me?"

"There you go _again_, shutting everyone out." Kakashi remarked with a deep sigh, pivoting his body so that he was looking directly at her spine. He shook his head at her in slight disappointment. "Do you plan to live your life alone?"

That question drew a small gasp from Anko, but she did not swiveled around to look at him.

"You're always chasing Orochimaru, and you're constantly worrying about the Curse Mark's power getting out of control." he continued in a matter-of-factly tone. "You take on all of these responsibilities, but you forced yourself to shrug it off, like it's nothing. If you don't want to talk about it, I understand, but don't pretend it all means nothing to you. If it gets tough, then just admit. Go ahead and cry when you need to, there's no shame in that, you know."

"You make it sound like it's so easy, when it really isn't…" the snake kunoichi muttered under her breath, trying to digest the truthful words in her head. "You don't know me, Kakashi."

"You _could_ be right about that," the Copy Ninja replied calmly, eyeing the violet-haired woman as she turned her body to look at him with a stern and angry look. "But when I look at you, you sometimes remind me of Sasuke. He was stubborn, too, and he would hide his emotions a lot. And I know how you feel, about Orochimaru and how you still care for him."

"I don't care about him." Anko asserted firmly, tired of hearing that from everyone. "He killed the Third Hokage, he abandoned the Leaf Village, and he lied and _used_ me, Kakashi. There's no way I would care for someone like that."

"To hate someone, you first have to love him, Anko." The Sharingan warrior inched closer to her, their bodies less than an inch away from each other. Anko felt the heat radiating off him as she stared down at the ground. "You're one of the strongest people I've ever met. I don't think you're capable of _not_ caring."

Silence fell upon the two, Anko not responding to his statement. Her mouth was kept in a firm line, her expression grim with sadness. She knew that he was telling the truth about everything, but she didn't want to admit. A hand found itself on her cheek, caressing her gently. Anko, shocked by the sweet gesture, looked up to see Kakashi smiling under his mask.

"I'll see you later, okay? If you ever need my help, just say so." His hand trailed down from her face, down her collarbone, and then rested where the Curse Mark was on her neck. Anko flinched at his touch, not wanting anyone to see the indelible brand on her skin. He pulled away when he saw her nervous reaction. "Anko, I'm sorry, for what happened during the Chūnin Exams. You were right."

He disappeared in whirlwind of leaves before she had a chance to open her mouth. Anko keep her optics fixed on the place where he stood, bringing her hand up to cover the Curse Mark. The spot on her neck where the Copy Ninja touched her tingled with warmth, and it felt nice. What was more astounding was that he admitted she was right about what she said during the exams, and he was wrong.

"It's okay, Kakashi… It isn't your fault, it's Orochimaru's." she whispered to the air, the breeze wafting through her hair. She couldn't shake off the feeling she'd felt last night, the odd sensation that _he_ was here in the Leaf Village. She gripped the Curse Mark more tensely, sighing as memories flashed through her head of her times together with the Snake Sannin.

How fleeting those times were, ending so quickly and never lasting long enough. She missed those old, joyful times—times when her unrequited feelings for him were the motivation she needed in order to train harder to please him. But that was the past, and she had focus on the future. However, she still yearned for those days again when she was Orochimaru's student, when he still cared for her. "If only my feelings were as fleeting as those memories, then maybe I still wouldn't still feel this way."

_You're wrong. You don't want them to fly away; you don't want to let go of those unanswered feelings. They're a part of you, the part that still loves him…_ Anko contradicted herself in her mind as she headed back into the streets. She wandered the Leaf Village until it was nightfall, and it was then the Curse Mark started to throb again.

Anko was heading back home when it happened, her knees buckling in front of her apartment door. She panted, grasping the seal on her neck, the pain not receding. She felt a presence, an evil aura that she was all too familiar with.

_He's here…! No doubt about it this time! _She pivoted around, supporting her crippling form with her door while she surveyed the neighborhood, concentrating on where the Curse Mark was resonating the strongest. _That way—towards the Forest of Death!_

Collecting herself back up to her normal height, she raced through the top of buildings to the forest that she proctored…and where Orochimaru was awaiting her arrival.


	8. Affection & Love In Vain

The Snake Sannin stood on one of the overgrown branches in the Forest of Death, patiently waiting for sweet girl to arrive with his back against the trunk. His arms were crossed over his chest, one foot against the tree while he kept his amber eyes peeled open for Anko. She was closing on him, he could sense her coming through the Curse Mark—the seal he'd implanted a portion of his chakra into her body. Not only does his chakra within his old student would respond to his presence when he was near her and cause her a great deal of agonizing pain, it also alerted him of her presence.

This will be the first time in a while they would see each other face-to-face, without her being fast asleep. It's about time he reestablish his ownership over her. Too many men have touched her, especially those of Anko's male comrades he so despised. Anko's charm was certainly something else, but the Sannin did not enjoy the sight—or thought—of anyone showing their affection for her. It was obvious that most of them desire her, but they will _never_ have her.

_At all_.

Anko was _his_.

When she landed in a crouch on the branch he was on, his smirk broadened considerably. She straightened up to stand in from of him as she presented herself steadily to her old mentor.

"Why are you here?" she inquired him with a raw hatred in her brown optics.

"For old time's sake, of course, my dearest Anko." Orochimaru replied in a honey-like tone. "But from your cold reaction, one might almost suspect you're not glad to see me."

Anko scoffed with a sneer, not taking his bait. "What a joke. Why are you _really_ here? Another assassination attempt for Lady Hokage?

He shook his head at her, leaning off the tree trunk to stand up properly before his ex-apprentice. "By no means."

"Of course not," the snake kunoichi spat vehemently. She glanced down to see his snow-white hands returned back to normal, meaning that the jutsu placed on him by the Third Hokage was now gone. He must've have taken another body and she was pretty sure it wasn't Sasuke Uchiha's. "Last I'd heard, you were defeated by Lady Hokage and Master Jiraiya. You've lot nerve to show your face here."

"I came to see how you were doing, my dear." He took a step forward, only to make Anko recoiled from him. He smiled at her frightened reaction, putting on a disappointed expression when he moved closer to her as she inched away from him again. She was trying to keep her distance from him to have an opening for an escape, just in case she needed to head back to the village and warn the Hokage about his appearance in the village. "Oh... I went through so much trouble to arrange a reunion and yet you're plan on leaving without doing anything?"

Her anger flared at his mocking tone, a kunai sliding into her hand from her coat sleeve. She shifted her body in a fighting stance, ready to attack and wipe that smug grin off his face. "If I let you at large, it'll spell trouble for the Leaf Village."

Orochimaru chuckled at his spitfire. "I'm going to enjoy myself…"

The kunai buzzed at him, but he dodged by merely titling his head to one side and let it embedded itself into the tree trunk. He held out an arm at the snake kunoichi, serpents emerging from under his sleeve of his tan tunic. They lashed at Anko, but she sailed past them, all of her attention and rage focused on the pale-skinned man in front of her.

She came at him with taijutsu, her fists and legs attempting to land blows on him, but he faster than her. He blocked her incoming kick with his arm and then grabbed her ankle with his free hand, circling her around in the air until he released her, her back roughly slamming the tree.

She coughed harshly at the impact, glaring furiously at the snake. She charged at him, but the Snake Sannin disappeared from her sight. Suddenly, a steel blade was aimed closely at her jugular and a masculine chest crowded behind her back. "You bast—"

A foot swept under her and before she knew it, Orochimaru was above her and she was on her back against the branch, his amber irises flashing with something deeper than his sadistic amusement or profound arrogance. Her wrists were locked together in one of his hands, holding her like iron chains would do to a criminal. The razor-sharp sword was no longer pressed against her throat, the Sannin's Snake Sword transforming into a snake and then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Get off me!" she snarled at him in frustration. She attempted to raise her legs to kick him off, but they were captured between his thighs. "Get off!"

Panic swelled up inside her as she shifted her body to squirm out from under him, but that only made heat bloomed in her core when she realized how close their bodies were crushed together. Blush rose to her cheeks when she saw his face moving down to her mouth, his lips brushing hers in a feather-light touch. This was _not_ good.

"Ask me again why I'm here, Anko," he demanded, a purr laced in his voice. His golden hues locked on her chocolate ones, both boring deeply into one another. Anko wanted to look away from searing, hungry gaze, however, she was mesmerized by his slitted, snakelike pupils. They were beautiful, strangely seductive, just as she remembered from when she was a child. Orochimaru studied her with a huge smirk, seeing her inner struggle between her desire for him and her loyalty for the pathetic Leaf Village. "You're not obeying me. Ask me why I'm here, my dear, or would you rather see for yourself?"

Anko's eyes widened in shock as their lips joined in a heated, aggressive caress. All of her priorities were lost when she felt Orochimaru's long tongue tracing the seam of her mouth and then darted though the entrance to the hot, sweet recesses of her mouth. Anko moaned in pleasure when he pushed her up closer to his body, deepening the melting caress that broke down all of her resistance. The kiss was like fire coursing through her veins, unbelievably passionate and amazing.

_No. This is wrong. I can't do this. I can't feel this._

She tore her mouth away the erotic torture of his mouth, pivoting her head to the side. She was shaking with desire and want, her fiery emotions spiked to a dangerous level than usual. What the _hell_ was she thinking? She was risking too much right now, with _him_. Her life, her loyalty, her sanity—and for what? For the man that betrayed her and was the Leaf Village's number one enemy.

She needed to find some way to extinguish the deadly, molten flames that were lit within her, and then prayed like hell that she didn't just signed her own death warrant. The source of her distress gripped her chin with his free hand, forcing her to look at his disapproving face.

"Don't ignore me, my dear," he hissed softly, capturing her mouth again in ardent kiss. His tongue penetrated her lips again, tasting the delicious cave of her mouth, his tongue undulating around hers and fighting for dominance. Orochimaru's hand came up to her throat, stroking it gently to entice her more.

"Stop," Anko begged him between kisses, breathing rapidly. God, how she hated that word right now. The last thing she wanted him to do is stop kissing her and caressing her neck, but this was wrong, no matter how _right_ it felt or much she _needed_ it. "I mean it, stop it."

He pulled back to glower down at her in dissatisfaction. Her face was flushed scarlet-red, her voluptuous chest rising up and down, and he could felt her pulse racing in a urgent tempo from where he was on her throat. Her mind might've said no to him, but her heart cannot lie. He could read her so well. Orochimaru's lips curved into a sensual smile. "Don't resist your wants, Anko. Just for tonight, release your desires to me."

The snake kunoichi shook her head slowly at him, refusing his tempting offer. To deceive the prey with sweet words and then drag them down into the steepest darkness was the true power of a demon. Orochimaru was no longer a human; the Third Hokage had said it himself during the time when they faced off.

He was a _demon_, a beast in human form.

Anko knew it was pointless to pursue a man like him, she knew it since she was child, because she knew he will never give her the words she desired. He couldn't return her feelings since she was his student, so at the very least he was nice to her, but he probably knew that would only hurt her more in the end. It was like their entire relationship relied on nothing more than sentimentality.

If she was to give in to him for just one night, it will only release her from her pain for just a little while. He would only leave her alone with her miserable tears again, wouldn't he? What will she do with the pile of painful thoughts? The weight of it will move neither forward or backward, and Anko knew that the minute he left her in the Land of the Sea. She had desperately called out to him, but he never looked back at her. That time was too painful, and all she wanted was to feel comfort for once in her life since that happened. She wanted to forget the man who was both kind and cruel, but she knew it was impossible.

Now here she laid on a thick branch, with the man she loved hovering over her, profound lust shimmering in their irises. She was the prey and he was the predator. And as the prey, she is deceived by sweet words and dragged down into darkness. For her not to notice his concealed demonic power would be foolish of her. It was a demon's whisper—his breath—that destroys all reasoning and allows it to simply fall.

_Skillfully_.

_Sweetly_.

_Quietly_.

"Anko, it's all right." Orochimaru whispered alluringly in her ear. His warm breath was so close to her skin, and it made shivers crawled up her spine. It wasn't because she was afraid of him; it was the desire that was burning her from within her to have him. "'Wouldn't it be good to forget everything, even if it's just for tonight? Indulge in pleasure... Breathe a sweet poison deep into your lungs."

"Orochi—" she gasped when his tongue flickered out to lick the rim of her ear.

"I know you, my dear. You want this too, don't you?" he continued, seducing her even more. "You can't lie to me."

"I…" Anko hesitated, averting her head to one side, but warm fingers guided it back to him. Her face was still flushed crimson-red from the close proximity of their bodies, the blossoming, unwanted hear in her core, and the need to have this man inside her. She wanted to ignore the passion that was boiling up and threatening to consume her with if was to stay here any longer with him. When she found her voice again, it leaked out with cold and quiet desperation. "Get off me, please."

Surprisingly, he complied with her wish. He removed himself from on top of her; freeing her wrists from the iron grip he was holding her down with. He clambered up, folding his arms across his chest as his old student gazed up at him with a shocked expression. She didn't expect him to listen to her request.

"I'll go," the Snake Sannin told her as she got up on her wobbly feet. "But I'll only do it if you tell me you don't love me."

"What…?" Anko stared at him, puzzled beyond belief. A pale extended to caress her cheek; her face flushing bright red again at his gesture as his thumb ran over her lush lips. Moisture broke from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks at the cruel display of his affection for her. She lowered her face down, unable to look at him. "Don't… Don't touch me this way if you don't feel the same way I do…"

He gave her a tender smile, the ones she loved so much when she was a child. She couldn't tell it was fake or not, but she was caught in a hypnotic trance by his golden irises. "You shouldn't dumbly jump to conclusions."

"But you…"

Lips crashed down on hers in a fervent caress, his hands clasping her roughly to his chest. Hands roamed and clutched at her body, leaving no area untouched. Anko was overwhelmed when his mouth claimed hers, trying not lose control of her feelings over to the divine taste of him as snakelike tongue darted inside her mouth again. However, she couldn't shake off those feelings anymore. It was too much to bear.

Orochimaru broke the kiss, smirking when she was reluctant to let go. He rested his forehead on hers, their lips a mere inch apart from each other. "Say you don't love me, and I'll go."

No longer wanting to deny her hidden love for him, she wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers tangling in his silky, ebony locks. "I can never say that you."

Her breathless confession was quickly followed by another joining of mouths in a ravaging, passionate kiss that _she_ initiated this time. She longed for this to happen, yearning to know how he tasted, not caring if it made her a rouge ninja in the process. Her attention was fixated on the Sannin before her, his wandering hands exploring her generous figure.

She couldn't believe what she doing, making out with an S-class criminal of the Leaf Village that had snuck in just to see her. A part of was still screaming for her to stop, nagging at the back of her mind that he was the person who wanted to demolish her home, but she couldn't help herself. There some feelings that a person could not ignore, and Anko knew that. She wanted to be with him. However, kissing him and touching him wasn't enough. She wanted more of him.

_All of him_.

Too engrossed in the kiss, she didn't notice that her back hit the trunk of the tree, his body pressed tightly on hers, his knee spreading her legs apart so that she could be lifted up in order for her legs to be wrapped around his waist. She moaned in pleasure when a hand smoothed down the graceful curve of her thigh, and she reveled in his addicting touch. They both broke apart for air for only a moment, and then their lips were glued in another heated caress as he slipped off the band that held her violet hair together, her short tresses cascading around her shoulders in soft waves.

Orochimaru smirked inwardly in victory; pleased she was no longer denying him. He found great pleasure in this with his little Anko, which was odd when he considered the fact he was never the type to admit to feelings of 'lust' or 'love'. However, he'd always possessed great affection for his student, more than anyone else in the world. Anko sparked fire in him that made him want to have her naked body against his. He wanted to taste her, feel and have her, in every way possible. She was his stu—No, not his student.

_His_ lover.

_His_ woman.

_His_ sweet girl.

The Snake Sannin teased Anko's lips with a stroke with his fangs when he withdrew from her. She was heaving in airy pants for oxygen, her brown optics duskier from the lust haze that was imbued with them. Easing her down softly, his fingers delved down to the straps of her orange skirt, unbuckling it from her waist and tugged it off, throwing it aside. The thin metal mesh that accumulated breasts and fit the slender curves of her form was then yanked down in a swift moment, along with her brown bra and panties.

The snake kunoichi was lucky that her wounds that she had inflicted on herself were completely healed, having to visit the Leaf Hospital earlier today. And of course, she had to make up a total lie to the medic that treated her that she'd hurt herself during training.

Orochimaru's digits ventured further up, his warm palms caressing her skin while his ardor mouth planted butterfly kisses on the column of her pretty neck. A delighted mewl escaped her lips, her eyelids falling shut halfway. She felt weak and boneless under his skillful touch, the pleasure rising up just like her passion for this man.

Now it was her turn to start undressing him. Her hands came up to the Sannin's waist, undoing his thick rope belt and tossed it someplace else, and then discarded the rest of his clothes quickly. They took great enjoyment at the sight of their bodies, marveling at each other's glorious nudity.

Mouths smoldered against one another in a fervor kiss, Anko's tongue playfully tracing the length of one his lethal canines. Her smooth palms journeyed up and down the hard muscles of his perfect chest and back, her body jamming on his insistently and Orochimaru chuckled against her lips at her eagerness. His mouth left hers to trailed down rough kisses on her chest until he took one of her tight pink nipples into his mouth, rolling it in back and forth with his tongue.

The snake kunoichi moaned and arched her back to his teasing mouth, her fingers twisting in his locks that fell like a lustrous black veil across her lithe form. Her pulse fluttered rapidly, her breathing quickened as she pushed her pelvis against his, the white-hot sensation growing more intense between them. Something rigid was pressing itself against her inner thigh, and she knew what it was.

"Orochimaru…" His name was a throaty purr that emanated from deep in her throat, the volume of her voice increasing as he moved his fervent kisses to the her taut stomach. His tongue dove in her bellybutton while both of his hands was now squeezing her breasts roughly, eliciting another moan from her. "Orochimaru!"

Lips locked again in a fiery caress, muffling Anko's gasp of surprise when she felt his digits cleaving through the wet, hot petals of her cleft, finding her tight and slick. She moaned against her lover's mouth, shoving Orochimaru onto his back so they could change positions. He allowed her to do so, permitting her a few minutes of dominance before he regained his control over her. Anko may be his dear girl, but their roles as predator and prey will never be switched when they're together, no matter what.

The purple-haired woman was trembling with desire, never feeling so alive before now. Her mouth lapped at his milk-white torso with bites and kisses, her fingers tracing patterns while the pale-skinned man under her outlined her lavish curves with his hands. When her mouth came to suck on his neck and nibbled on the tender flesh, leaving a red mark behind, Orochimaru sighed in that pleasure, his hands stroking and roaming her sumptuous figure, kneading her flesh to elicit another mewl of pleasure from her. He smirked widely; satisfied that he was able to reduce her into this fragile state.

He rocked his hips against hers, a groan of delight slipping the purple-haired woman's lips. With a hard push, Anko was beneath the Sannin again, their hues blazing with lust for each other.

Anko reached for him, wanting to draw his mouth to hers, but he pulled back slightly, the corners of his lips curving into a salacious smile. He moved his hips at hers again, tempting her with her desire to have him inside of her. He wanted it too, but he must make sure Anko knew what _exactly_ was she doing with him. She spent so long denying her passion—the passion she was so afraid of showing to anyone—that it was possible that when this is over, she will try and deny those feelings again. And besides, he has to make sure his sweet girl knew whom she rightfully belonged to.

"Anko," he drawled out her name in a seductive tone, his amber irises flaring with lust for his woman. She looked at him with dusky hues that were clouded with desire for him, her arms linking around his neck as he lowered his face down until their foreheads touched. "Say that you want this, that you want me. Scream to me that you are _mine_. I want you to know what you're doing here with me. I need to know that you want this."

Overwhelmed with her longing for the man looming over her, Anko nodded at him and shut her eyes tight as she moaned out her response. "I want this… I want _you_..."

"That's my good girl," he smiled in triumph over the kunoichi, impaling himself into her moist core. Anko screamed out his name at the wondrous pain and pleasure, her nails digging into his back. She coiled her ankles securely behind him, wanting him to push deeper in her. She moaned when he was able to bury his groin to the hilt of her sheath, their bodies milking each other. They fit together so perfectly and easily, as if they were meant for each other. He felt so _good_…almost _too_ good to be true.

His elongated, razor-sharp teeth brushed over the Curse Mark, a spark of liquid electricity jolted her body closer against him. Orochimaru gave that spot of her neck a firm lick of his tongue as he moved out of her, and she flinched visibly. He thrust in her cleft again and he relished in her pleasured moan. When his teeth penetrating her warm flesh, rivulets of crimson rolled down the curves of her figure, over her nipples and to her nether regions. The ravenous snake sucked at her vein like he would with sweet nectar, reveling in the taste of her sweet and spicy blood.

"Don't stop," the snake kunoichi mewled, enthralled at his searing bite, her fingers running through the shining locks of his ebony strands. Her sultry mouth came on his beautiful white throat, taking in the luscious taste of his flesh as he keep thrusting into her, his tempo becoming harder and faster. When the intensity of the pleasure came too much, she cried out his name in ecstasy. "Orochimaru!"

The sounds of her moans, her screams, her whimpers—they were like a dulcet melody to his ears. He grinned broadly against her puncture wounds, removing his fangs from that spot and lick the lacerations clean. He let it wandered down over the rivulets of scarlet all over her figure, cleansing her the blood off her while making Anko tingle with pleasure. She cried out again and again as he pushed deeper into her slick, velvet cleft, screaming his name and begging him not to stop. It was all for the man she so badly lusted for after all these years.

Her passionate screams echoed through the Forest of Death, but it was then swiftly silenced when Orochimaru captured her lips in a voracious kiss, plunging his tongue inside her hot recesses, his tongue colliding with hers so she could taste her own enticing blood. He didn't want anyone to hear her, not taking the chance of the possibility of someone stumbling upon their lovemaking.

It wasn't enough, though. It was nearly enough to sate her cravings for the Snake Sannin. She needed more, wanted more of him. Anko still hungered for him, despite the fact how their bodies were already sweaty and meeting each other in long, hard thrusts. When they broke away for air, Orochimaru watched in amusement as she brought up his left wrist that was inked with his Summoning tattoo to her mouth.

It was an odd design, indeed. It was a black swirling pattern, like a snake's tail with spikes, circling around in two loops before it branched off in two lines on the back. Both of the tails came back to the front of his wrist like arcs facing each other in a pointed U and with a horizontal line running through it. At the center was an odd shuriken-like mark on the right, with a small black dot next to it.

Anko skimmed her tongue on the swirls and arcs, her teeth grazing and sucking his flesh. Orochimaru smirked at her, enjoying the feel of the erotic suction of her mouth. Something about that smirk made Anko's heart skipped a beat, the fiercely burning sensation rose to a new level.

"Go on." He pressed his tattooed wrist more firmly to her lips. With a feral grin, Anko sunk her teeth into his flesh, biting down hard to break the skin, savoring the taste of his blood, which tasted spicy-sweet and dark and wild. She sighed at the succulent flavor of Orochimaru, too absorbed in it that she wasn't aware that the Sannin flipped her over, reversing their positions so that he can get his piece of his violet-haired vixen.

It was her turn to put in some of the effort, thrusting up and down in a furious ride. Adrenaline coursed through her veins while she continued to taste his blood as Orochimaru touched and groped at her lascivious body, kneading at her breasts and caressing her gorgeous hips and thighs with his free hand. She was sweating more than before, a sign that she was reaching her limit.

A shattering orgasm rippled in waves of pleasure in her body, and she exploded in ecstasy as she climaxed from the rapture release. Anko cried out in delectation, her mouth leaving his bloodied wrist as she shuddered at the pleasurable ferocity that spread within her. The Snake Sannin lifted himself up to kissed her, her lips stained with a lovely shade of red from his blood.

She returned the kiss fiercely as she finally hit her peak, gripping his shoulders to draw out more blood from him. The sensation was incredible, exhilarating. She felt like she was blasting off into the white-hot abyss, like she was a star shooting through the sky at an astounding speed. She didn't care where she ended up; the only thing that mattered she was with the man she loved so passionately with all her heart.

As the invigorating feeling faded, Anko collapsed on the Sannin, who caught her as she fell in his strong arms. What a shame that she didn't last longer, Orochimaru was so looking forward on continuing this…_extremely_ interesting experience between the two of them. But that was fine, there's always next time. Although, he didn't appreciate this weakness that sex brought upon him, experiencing it with his darling Anko was defiantly worth it.

The pale-skinned male nuzzled the exhausted and sated kunoichi's neck, his arms protectively around her waist. Her head rested on his chest as he fondled her violet bangs on her forehead, sweeping them away to see her beautiful but tired face.

"Say you love me," Orochimaru ordered softly, whispering in her ear.

"I love you…" Anko mumbled with a smile, images of the man holding her flittered her dreams with pleasant feelings of love and comfort. Finally, all of the guilt and sorrow that piled up in her existence was hammered down by the man who first gave her all of that pain, But now… Now, all she felt was love—all of the love and adoration she kept buried in the bottomless pit of her soul—for him. Her eyelids shut closed as she succumbed into a blissful sleep.

The Sannin smiled down at his former student he always had a soft spot for, an emotion that goes beyond the feeling of affection stirred his gut. Before all of this happened, he knew that he shouldn't let that growing emotion develop any than it already have, but he was glad he did. He'd now obtained his sweet girl back in his grasp; along with the amazing, invigorating feeling she gave—and will continue to give—him.

There was absolutely no way he would ever let her go. Orochimaru allowed them to part in the Land of the Sea; he won't do the same thing again. Her rightful place was with him, not with the Leaf Village. At _his_ side was where she belonged. He affirmed it as he lay down naked, next to Anko, relaxing as he drifted into slumber with his dear old student—now lover—while the darkness of the forest enveloped around them like a blanket, and then there was only silence.

ஜ ~ ஜ

As the morning sun dawned upon the Leaf Village, Anko twitched slightly when the light shone down at her, her eyelids fluttering slowly open. After blinking a few times to adjust to the brightness, Anko was confused when her optics met with the scenery of a forest and clothes scattered all around her. To make the situation even more odd, her body felt deliciously relaxed and sore in all the right places.

She felt warm.

Comfortable.

_Safe_.

What the heck happened to her? Where was she?

As a familiar, tender hand stroke her back lazily, the snake kunoichi realizing only then that her figure was sprawled over a smooth body, her cheek pressed against a masculine chest. Vivid images of last night's events flashed through her head, the memories far too clear for her own good.

She remembered everything: The mindless hunger and hatred inside of her that burned at the man she loved and hated, and then the relentless, heated lust that consumed and broke down all of her defenses and reasons she had carefully built up all her life—all of them destroyed from the overwhelming want and need for the snake that was laying under her.

With a startled gasp, Anko jolted up from the warmth that was provided by her companion, clutching the fabric of cloth that she recognized as her khaki coat to cover her nude body, her cheeks turning crimson in embarrassment. What had she become? How can she willingly allow the man that killed the Third Hokage and cast her aside like some toy reduced her to some wanton idiot?

A strong hand wrapped her waist and pulled her back down to him. "Lay back down, Anko."

She didn't protest, but felt profoundly uneasy as she burrowed her face into the crook of his neck. His hand was still caressing down her form in soothing movements, trying to ease the enormous humiliation she felt at the moment. The silence of the forest stretched until Orochimaru spoke up first, disliking the tense vibe in the air.

"How do you feel?"

The violet-haired woman sighed, refusing to meet the molten golden hues of her former sensei. Her eyes were shut, her willowy fingers tracing the design of his tattoo on his left wrist and over the wound she inflicted on him last night. "Content."

The Snake Sannin smirked, pleased at her honest answer. "Do you regret it?"

She didn't answer him right away, her mind and heart clashing within her soul like a blazing inferno, a battle of her desire and her duty. However, she shook her head regardless, not able to lie that she regretted what transpired between teacher and student.

"I like that last night belonged to us alone." Anko whispered quietly, her body liquid putty from the ferocious waves of ecstasy that erupted inside her from last night. Her digits left his arm, skimming up his shoulder, around his collarbone, and then to his chest, stroking the pale skin leisurely. The stillness between them extended, the only noises that were heard the sounds of the birds in the sky and the rustles of animals inhabited in the Forest of Death. Exhaling sharply, she lifted her head to stare at the Sannin. "What happens now? I can't pretend like things aren't different between us."

"You could defect, come with me." Orochimaru suggested, brushing a hand through her violaceous hair, which was tousled from their lovemaking. Uncertainty crossed her pretty face as the offer hung in the air, and the Sannin frowned at her indecisive look.

After the consummation of their illicit relationship, she was supposed to leave with him and be by his side as his lover, to assured the Leaf Village will never get their hands on her. Rising up to a sitting position, he clasped his arms around his sweet girl and embraced her tightly, her hands on his chest and her face titled up to his stern face. "And besides, there's no life for you here. You belong with me."

Anko blushed at the closeness, averting her eyes to avoid seeing his golden hues. As she spoke, her voice turned slightly brittle as she thought about his words. "But… You hurt me. Why would you care, anyway…?"

Slender fingers cupped her chin and brought her face to look at him, his yellow optics studying her. It was obvious that she was hooked on how he'd 'abandoned' her, and he didn't want that getting in the way of in between them. "I have every right to bring you back, you were mine the minute we first met. _You_ left _me_, remember? It's only natural for me to reclaim what's mine, isn't it?"

The snake kunoichi flinched at that question that sounded more like statement, the redness that filled her cheeks receded from her face as her brow furrowed sternly. She wanted to leave with him, especially after last night, but the Leaf Village… They were her family; they have been since Orochimaru left her. They took care of her, provided her with warmth that mended the scars of her broken heart little by little. Could she really do it, defect from the village and go live with Orochimaru as his… As his what, exactly? Lover? One of his subordinates? Or as his, as much she dreaded to even think about it, his experiment like last time?

He could be playing her for a fool again, but something in her heart told her that his affection that he showed her now and yesterday was real. He wanted her back; the eager child inside her would jump at the chance to be with her beloved sensei again. But can she deal with it? With the killing, the crimes, the experiments? Her rational mind told her that returning to him was a foolish, reckless move. She would be branded as a rouge shinobi and would constantly be hunted down as a criminal. However, she slept with the enemy, and wasn't that just as bad as leaving the Leaf?

God, what should she do?

"I…need time to think about it," she said finally, her palms on his chest gently pushing him a few inches away. "I love you, but… I just can't trust you."

Though his frown deepened, Orochimaru nodded and released her chin. "Fine, I'll give you three days. You have that long."

"All right."

They both stood up and searched for their scattered attires, dressing several feet away from one another. Anko felt profoundly embarrassed that she was stark naked and looking at her nudity reminded too much of her last night. Heat rose to her face at the thought, so she asked her ex-mentor not to look at her. Surprisingly, he agreed and just ventured to gather his garbs and slipped it on his form.

Once they were done, Orochimaru sauntered forward and caressed his lover's cheek softly. He smiled as she flushed crimson at the small gesture, his voice honey-toned. "If it's any reassurance, last night did mean something to me."

She gazed at him yearningly, her expression sweetly honest. "Me too."

His smile broadened and he caught her lips in a passionate kiss. He kept his eyelids open, wanting her to be entranced by his mesmerizing, amber irises. She encircled her arms around his neck to pull him closer, the kiss more animalistic as the time went by. Anko's guttural moan was a rumble in the back of her throat, becoming too aroused as he made love to her with nothing but his snakelike tongue. His scent, something that smelled like bitter chocolate and rich spices, intoxicated her.

When they pulled back, Orochimaru ran his thumb over her kiss-swollen lips. "Good-bye for now, my dear."

Words failed her at the moment from the butterflies fluttering in her stomach, so she just nodded. Sparing one last glance at her lover, Anko pivoted around and dashed out of the Forest of Death, rushing back into the village before anyone notices that she was gone. The Snake Sannin watched her go until she vanished from his sight, his expression switching from pleased to his usual unreadable look. He swiveled and jumped down to the ground, taking only ten steps forward before a smooth, cool voice laced with amusement piped up.

"Well, aren't you just the gentleman?" Kabuto leaned against a one of the other trees in the forest, an entertained grin on his face as he pushed up his glasses. "You had a good chance, too."

Orochimaru smirked at his right-hand man. "Even if I were to have her body, it would be pointless if her heart is attached to the Leaf Village. Anko needs to make the decision herself, and when she does, then she will be mine forever. Only then I can take her away from here."

The silver-haired medic felt the creep of déjà vu crawling up his spine as his lord's tongue came out from his mouth to lick his lips in a slow, sensual movement. Folding his arms over his chest, the memories of the conversation between him and Orochimaru after the prelims of the Chūnin _Exams about Sasuke came rolling back inside his head. _

_"I still have no idea why you are so fixated on that girl, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto stated as he started to walk side-by-side with his lord, their feet dragging them back to their hideout that was not too far from the village. "Not only she is a kunoichi from the Leaf Village, the Hokage and her dogs are constantly tracking down our movements, and now that woman's activities as well. For you to risk us being caught like this, well… It's quite confusing."_

_"You wish to know?" Orochimaru halted his calm stride, and he pivoted his head to show him a sly smile. "That woman…is the only person I truly care about."_

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko touched the lacerations on her neck over the gauze as she gazed at her reflection in her bathroom mirror. She was able to sneak back into her apartment without running into one of her friends, and she hoped that they wouldn't see her for the rest of the week. How will she explained the injuries on her neck? What, tell them that a snake bit her? Well, that could be a reasonable excuse, considering it wasn't _exactly_ lying. She wanted to hide in her apartment until her wounds heal, leaving no trace of the twin punctures that Orochimaru gave her in the middle of their lovemaking.

The snake kunoichi wondered what would happen to her now. Orochimaru gave her three days to make her decision to either go with him or stay here. She didn't ask what would happen if she would choose the village over him, though. Her heart ached at the thought of being separated from him again; she wouldn't bear to be deserted by that man another time. If he did, she felt like she would die from the inside.

The purple-haired woman sighed, pushing away her musings to think more about another time. All she wanted to do is get some decent sleep, her muscles sore and her mind tired. Flopping down her bed, she allowed herself to be drifted into a blissful, short nap, smiling as the memories of her passionate night with Orochimaru infiltrated her dreams.

ஜ ~ ஜ

By the time three days passed, Anko had her back against the tree where she and Orochimaru last saw each other. Her expression was blank, her mouth turned down into a sad frown as she contemplated on the decision she agonized over. Her mind was flooded with the conflict that raged on within her heart between her love for her former sensei and her duty to her home.

The stars twinkled like diamonds in the night sky; the quiet of the Forest of Death was pleasantly comforting. It wouldn't be long until Orochimaru arrived to meet her to hear her decision. Her heart hammered against her ribcage at the thought of seeing him again, her pulse thrumming in anticipation as she waited for his arrival.

She bit her bottom lip in anguish, her fingers curling up in both hands as they fisted. Tears threatened to start pouring out of her closed her eyes, the sorrow weighing down in her chest growing more heavily with every passing minute.

When he came, her answer to his offer will tear her apart. She knew it was the best thing for her to do, but she couldn't take it. How can anyone live with such sadness? How will he react? Will he hate her? Kill her? Threatened to expose to the entire Leaf Village of their one-night tryst? He wouldn't do that, would he? And what about her? What will she do now after that transpired between her and the Snake Sannin? Live with the aching guilt that she betrayed her village for one night, surrendering to its most hateful enemy because she gave into her passion?

All these questions keep spiraling in her head to the point she felt like it would explode at any moment. Damn it, why did it have to _him_? Why couldn't she fall in love with anyone else? Why did she have to be so weak? She knew who and what he was, but she still let the snake take her, bite her and take advantage of her. It could never be in the first place, their love was in vain, but she fell for him anyway. She was so stupid!

A hand slipped past her violet hair and touched her cheek, caressing her face softly as the tears came streaming down her face. When Anko looked up at her visitor, her teary optics locked on with amber, serpentine silts. The corners of a pale mouth curved up into a gentle smile, his snow-white hand kept stroking her cheek. "Is something the matter?"

"Orochimaru…" Anko moved her away from his tender touch and quickly brought her hands to her face, wiping them away so he couldn't see her weakness. "It's nothing."

He flashed a faint smirk at her, his eyes glimmering as his way of telling her that he knew better. "So, what's your answer?"

His hand extended out to her again to stroke her face again, but she saw it coming and moved away. A frown crossed his features at her, his golden optics glared at her with dissatisfaction. "You're acting cold to me again, my dear."

The snake kunoichi shook her head slowly at him, her caramel-colored hues staring at him with sternness. "I don't want you to use our relationship as a way to manipulate my decision."

"I'm giving you a choice, Anko." Orochimaru replied, brushing off her accusation. "Don't you want to come with me?"

Silence strained the atmosphere between them as long moments passed. Anko remained quiet, the grief in her beautiful, warm eyes resurfacing as she sobbed out, "My current feelings…are a mixture of sadness and anger. I thought about your offer, and agonized over it for the last few days until I'd finally reached a decision. I love you so much, but I…"

"Your refusing me, aren't you?" His tone was harsh, scornful.

"I'm sorry, but I can't…" she trailed off, covering her face with her hands as she wept uncontrollably. "I can't go with you. I can't sit by and watch you cause destruction wherever you go. That isn't me—that isn't my life. I can't live like that…"

"Your place is with me, not here." Orochimaru remarked firmly, his arm looping around her waist to embrace her. Anko didn't reject his sweet gesture, and her hands clutched his back tightly as she listened to his truthful words. "You're not happy here, that much is obvious. Anko, you know I could always take you with me by force."

The crying woman burrowed her wet face into his hard chest, her meek voice muffled by his clothes. "If you were to do that, then I will never forgive you."

The Sannin sighed at her obstinate head. "There was a time a thought I could take you against your will, but there would be no point in that if half of your heart was connected to the Leaf."

"I want to go with you, but…"

"But you don't trust me, is that it?" He remembered her words from last time, gripping her shoulders to push her away from him slightly. However, he refused to let go of her completely. "You're afraid that I would use you and throw you away this time?"

Anko nodded, not bothering to deny it since he could read her so well. "Yeah. You betrayed me once, who's to say that won't do the same thing again?"

"Didn't that night mean anything to you?" He popped his trump card at her while he ignored her question, persisted to persuade her to come and live with him. That is what he wanted from her, and he wasn't planning on failing.

"It meant everything to me!" Anko exclaimed in frustration, her chest becoming tight with her inner chaos between her deepest desire and moral duty. She didn't want him to think she didn't love him, she did and always will. But to do the things he did, become a rough ninja and leave her friends behind, was something she was ready to deal with yet. "No matter what happens, I will always feel the same about you. I love you, but we can't be together. I'm not ready to deal with it."

Orochimaru remained silent for a few minutes before he reached out to wipe her salty tears from her weeping face with his fingers. "I won't force you to come with me, my dear. However, is that what you truly desire? To live here in the Leaf Village, and not with me?"

"No, it's not, but I'm not prepared to live—" Anko was interrupted as he caressed the soft line of her jaw, his face leaning down to successfully capture her lips in a sizzling kiss. Anko moaned involuntary, recalling how amazing it felt to kiss him, to touch him, lying naked next to his heated body. Her arms coiled around his neck while she was roughly slammed against the trunk of the tree, the Sannin repeating his actions from last time. She lost herself in his melting kiss, her body becoming limp with the erotic melding of their mouths against each other.

The pale-skinned man broke the kiss, his golden irises gazing at her deeply. "If that is your choice, then this will be the last time for us. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah, so can we forget everything for tonight?" she inquired softly, receiving another scorching kiss as her answer. Her tongue met his in a fiery dance, dueling for control over the other. As they attacked each other with burning kisses, they stripped off their clothes in an unhurried grace.

When the clothes were off, they pressed their bodies together without hesitation, Anko on the bottom with Orochimaru on top, being the dominant one in the relationship. He peppered her neck with fervor kisses, his palms wandering over her toned abdomen until they cupped over the creamy swells of her breasts, teasing her pebbled-hard nipples with his digits. Anko writhed under him and entwined her fingers in his ebony hair, mewling in pleasure in her lover's ears like it was the loveliest melody he'd ever heard.

She wanted him intensely, so much more than before, and she knew he felt the same way. His lips were back on hers, the Snake Sannin crushing her mouth with demand, shoving his tongue into her hot cave as if he meant to devour her. Adrenaline shimmered in her veins as she murmured his exotic name in broken, pleasured gasps, his hands fondling teasingly on the aching swells of her breasts.

"Don't stop…" Anko moaned in pleasure when she felt the digits of one his hands left her bosom to skate down her wet, warm cleft, stroking his palm in masterful rhythm against her. But he did stop—much too soon, in fact. Orochimaru broke their kiss to hover his head over hers, their eyes pinned at each other to admire the cloud of lust that was surfacing in their hues.

In a brief second, mouths were caught in a deep, hungered caress once more, the snake kunoichi tightened her fingers in his hair as the Sannin groped and cupped the delectable curves and sensitive spots on her luscious body. It wasn't long until they moved apart from their kiss again so he could dipped his head and enclosed his mouth over her right breast, one hand kneading the other perfect mound of flesh.

He lavished her breast and clenched his teeth on the tight bud, the sweet scent of her arousal intoxicating him as she moaned and mewled under him in rapture. His fingers returned to her velvet, moist core, delving into her slick folds of her body. Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile against her chest, reveling how she blossomed even fuller for him. She was so _wet_ and _hot_ and _tight_.

"More, Orochimaru! Ahh… Don't stop! Ah!" Anko gasped as he penetrated her sheath with one of his digits. When he added a second one, her nails scoring his shoulders while she arched her back to bring her body closer to his teasing mouth.

He withdrew from her chest, melding his mouth on hers in a hard, possessive kiss that covered her scream of ecstasy. When he removed his fingers from her core, he thrust into her. He spread her legs apart like the flower she was and grasped onto them tightly to prevent her from meeting his thrusts. He wanted to push her off the edge, wanting to see how much she can take before she was to the brink of insanity.

Her body quaked when the first tremors as shuddering orgasm hit her, her mouth leaving his as she cried out his name in release. She was no longer a fragile little child; she was a tough and valiant kunoichi with powerful strength, and he loved that about her. He relished at her fiery spirit, her stubbornness, how she takes action with her brisk, furious intensity. But what Orochimaru loved most is that he could reduce her into this fragile state, breaking down all her rough barriers and let them fall like weightless leaves.

When his hands left her lovely thighs and his mouth backed on hers in a heated caress, Anko clasped her slender legs around his waist, allowing him to impale her more deeply. Her fingernails scratched his shoulders, creating rivulets of crimson down his arms. She heard the Snake Sannin hissed in pure white-hot pleasure against her lips before he moved to plant burning kisses along her pretty throat and collarbone. She licked off his enticing blood off his arms, relishing at the exquisite taste.

When she was done, she buried her face into the nape of his neck, sighing at the bliss he was granting her as his pace became harder and faster, his rhythm lost to her now. The purple-haired woman could feel another crest of an orgasm roaring up within her body, and then she exploded with a sharp cry of ecstasy.

Orochimaru gazed down his sweet girl with a smirk, continuing to push in and out of her core and enjoying the sight how her body practically screamed _ecstasy_ to him. The urge to possess this woman—his woman—hammered him as made love to his darling former student. It was the scorching desire to whisk her away from the pathetic Leaf Village to claim and mark her as his and his alone, to have his wicked way with her as he is now, locked away from where any male that who dare to touch what was his possession.

"OROCHIMARU!" Anko shouted his name again when the pleasure became too much for her to bear. As he kept plumping into her soft, wet heat, he descended his head to the slender curve of her neck. He sunk his razor-sharp fangs into her tender flesh, over the faded holes where he last bit her, waiting less than second for the taste of her spicy-sweet blood to invade his taste buds.

He sucked from her like last time as she climaxed again, his tempo decreasing when he removed himself from her core and withdrew from her neck to stroke his snakelike tongue over her twin puncture wounds. Orochimaru felt Anko relaxed against him as she mewled happily.

The pale-skinned man smiled as he caressed her stubborn, beautiful jaw, and she looked at him with a sexy smile of her own. The fire in her blood from their passion still coursed strongly within her veins, and she turned her body against his until they melded together perfectly. Suddenly, they were kissing all over again, and Anko grinned inwardly as she let her tongue played along the length of one of his fangs.

It was going to be a _long_ night.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Dawn came too soon for the lovers' liking, their limbs entwined and their naked bodies sweaty and glistening as the first rays of morning hit them from their location in the trees. They both desired to stay longer, but Anko needed to get back before anyone could figure out where was she was, and Snake Sannin needed to head back to his Sound Village to train his future vessel.

"There's still time if you wish to chance your mind," he told her when they finished getting dressed. "You're sure you want to stay?"

Although Anko was sad at their separation, she nodded her head. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glanced at her former teacher. "I'll always be torn, but I could only be at one place at a time. Right now, my place is here in the Leaf Village."

He frowned at her, his disappointment cutting through her like a blade. He didn't say anything, only nodded his head and then he kissed her long and hard on the mouth. His mouth traveled down to the most sensitive spot on her body, located directly on the left side of her neck: The Curse Mark.

"You're mine, Anko. You know that, don't you?" Orochimaru whispered seductively in her ear, his breath warm tingling her skin. Her response was small and quiet, but he heard it clearly before their mouths were joined in another heated caress.

She'd told him _yes_.

The Snake Sannin retreated from Anko, leaving her breathless and boneless against him. "Good-bye, my dear."

He was gone before she had a chance to speak, leaving her standing there in the forest, reluctantly accepting the choice she had made while giving up something she had craved all her life. Oddly enough, she felt bereft and abandoned again like all those years ago in the Land of the Sea, even though she knew she have no right to feel that. She made the decision on her own, and now the only man she had ever loved was gone. And yet, the fire in her blood boiled for him, craving to feel him against her nude body once again. However, she knew better, since they have now said their farewells.

It will _never_ happen again.


	9. A Day For Lovers To Meet

It has been two weeks since Anko last saw Orochimaru—the last time when she will _ever_ see him again. Sadness weighed heavily in her chest since they said their good-byes; her exuberant personality she'd usually show around her friends has now diminished. Kurenai and the others noticed her transparent sorrow, something they knew of too well but never expected to see so lucidly. Normally, the violet-haired woman would obscured her grief by masking it with a cheerful and energetic face, but now Anko seemed so depressed in the last two weeks that she'd no longer bothered to hide it.

That worried everyone on how she was doing, blaming themselves for pressuring her about her relationship with Orochimaru. In the last couple of weeks, Anko barely spent any time with her friends, and she was never seen in the village for too long. She'd try her best to avoid them, and she would then blockade herself inside her apartment all day after she completed a mission. When she did run into one of her comrades, she would quickly lie and make an excuse to get away.

Anko knew of her friends' concern and what they thought was the cause of her distress was. She didn't mean for them to blame themselves for how she was acting, but she couldn't bring herself to explain why she was so distant. The only person responsible for her heartache was herself. What she did with Orochimaru, sleeping with him and sneaking off into the night to meet him two weeks ago, was unforgivable. She didn't regret seeing him once more, giving into her passion for the Snake Sannin, but she felt so guilty for betraying the Leaf Village by sleeping with the enemy. _Twice_. She yearned for his attention, his acknowledgement, and she wanted him to want her too.

That was the hope…and the _sin_.

She felt like a complete, wanton fool. She felt too ashamed to face anyone in the Leaf Village, especially the people who cared and treated her with kindness and warmth. What the heck was she supposed to do now? She can't pretend that everything was all right when it really wasn't. She loved the Leaf Village, but she also loved her former sensei as well, even though he might just be toying with her emotions again.

So here she was, sitting on her bed with her back to the wall, her knees curled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her shins tightly. Her face was deeply troubled and lamented, her mind churning with her conflicted feelings and thoughts. She craved to see Orochimaru once more, to be with him again, for even the slightest second. However, she wondered whether or not that was she truly desires. She will be stabbing the village in the back and would just be twisting the knife by going off to see him again.

Those heated moments flashed across her mind, and Anko's face reddened at the passionate memories of her tryst with the Snake Sannin. She remembered how good it felt to have his body pressed against her; the heat of his hot mouth on her skin, kissing and lighting a blazing flame that coursed through her veins; and how amazing his rich, luscious blood tasted on her tongue. That heated experience was absolutely _incredible_.

But it would never happen again, because she rejected to come with him to the Sound Village. She knew she had made the right choice; she couldn't live the life he led—one full of bloodlust, cruelty, and destruction. Although she missed him dearly, Anko knew she had no right to. She'd made her decision, and would therefore suffer with the agony of her choice. Sooner or later, she would just have to accept that her lover was gone and they will never meet again.

"The sooner the better…" the snake kunoichi mumbled under her breath, throwing her feet off the edge of the bed to stand on the wooden floor. Staying locked inside her room would only make her feel gloomier, so she decided to go and get some fresh air. Grabbing her khaki coat off the chair in her room, Anko pulled it on and exited her apartment.

As soon as she entered the streets of the Leaf Village, Anko found herself striding through the noisy and bustling crowds, the citizens running around in a frantic like she'd never seen before. Booths and food stands were being set up from all around; clothing stores and beauty shops were cluttered with girls buying dresses and kimonos to pretty themselves up with; and colorful festivities were being hang on the rooftops of the buildings. The snake kunoichi was bewildered by the all of the excitement that was going around her, puzzled on why the Leaf Village seemed busier than usual.

"Anko!" shouted a sweet, melodious voice.

Anko pivoted her head around to see her crimson-eyed, raven-haired friend dashing over to her side, a smile gracing her scarlet-red lips. Forcing out a happy grin, Anko greeted Kurenai in a cheerful tone. "Hey, Kurenai. What's going with the village today? Everyone seems to be in a hurry for something."

"You haven't heard? I know you've been preoccupied lately, but you could at least make yourself a _little_ more available," the female Jōnin told her jokingly, gesturing a hand towards the fussy citizens of the Leaf. "The village is holding a grand event to raise money to pay for the repairs going on in the village right now. Ever since Orochimaru's attack, you know it isn't easy raising money by sending off our weaken forces on missions when we need all the security in the village to defend from our enemies. So, Lady Hokage is putting on a event to fix that problem."

"Oh, I get it. So this event is mainly a fund raiser, huh?" Anko nodded in understanding, snuffing her hands into her coat pockets as her optics scanned the active surroundings. "So, what kind of 'grand event' is it, anyway?"

"It's called the 'Rose Exchange.'" Kurenai answered joyfully, giggling in delight. "It's a event that's led by the Yamanaka clan, and it starts tomorrow."

"Rose Exchange? How's it done?"

"I'd explain it to you, but I'm busy right now. If you want to know, go the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Ino should be there, so she could tell you. I'll see you later, okay?" Kurenai swiveled her heel to go in the other direction, glancing over her shoulder at her friend.

"Uh, okay. Later, then." Anko waved after the raven-haired beauty as she run off to help finishing the preparations for the event. Having nothing better to do, Anko turned her foot in the direction of the Yamanaka Flower Shop to find some answers.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Everyone, please line up in a orderly fashion! Quit pushing!" Ino bellowed among the din of surging customers that were clamoring in her flower shop. The blond girl sighed in frustration at the work she had to do, pivoting her head behind her to see Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten carrying out more pots of roses to the front of the shop. "Hey, you three, move faster! Things are going to get messy if we don't give these customers their flowers, pronto!"

"Shut it, Ino-pig!" Sakura yelled back, angry at being bossed around by her archrival/best friend. "Don't forget we're helping you for _free_ for this event, so put a cork in it and show a little more gratitude that we're taking time off on our training to help you!"

"What'd you say, Billboard Brow?" Ino shouted crossly, a vein popping out her forehead at the insult. "What makes you think I want to do this? It's not like I had a choice! My parents are out organizing the rest of this event!"

"Cut it out, you two." Tenten sighed exasperatedly, moving in between them before a catfight could erupt from the younger females. "This event was placed on short-notice, remember? And it starts _tomorrow_, so if we don't get these flowers out to the public, then we might as well hand our butts over to Lady Tsunade ourselves if this it turns out to be a failure because of us."

"S-She's right, we should just focus on getting the job done." Hinata agreed in a low tone.

"Yeah, fine, whatever." Sakura grumbled grumpily, placing the pots down to the side.

"You girls seemed to be having a rough time, huh?" inquired a tomboyish voice, the vision of a purple-haired Special Jōnin approaching their sights.

Ino beamed, coming around the counter to greet the familiar face. "Anko-sensei! Welcome, are you here to buy a rose for the event, too?"

The snake kunoichi chuckled lightly at the blond girl's enthusiasm, patting her blond crown playfully. "Nice to see you again, kiddo. And no, I'm not here to buy a flower for this event or whatever. I'm just curious to see what this 'Rose Exchange' is all about. Everyone's making a big deal out of it."

The Yamanaka girl's smile faltered a little, but she retained a polite expression on her face. "Oh, well… The 'Rose Exchange' is basically a couple's event. A person will give a red rose to the one they love. Then, if the person who received the red rose feels the same way, then they reply with a white rose. If not, a yellow rose to say, 'No, thank you.'"

"Huh, I see…" Anko bobbled her head, processing the information. It was an interesting event, but she didn't really care for a lovey-dovey thing such as this. She got the concept of it, and it was a good idea to raise money to pay for the repairs in the Leaf Village.

"All of the girls are really excited for it!" Ino added in excitement, throwing her hands in the air. "At the end of the second day, there'll be music so all the couples could dance the night away! It's so _romantic_!"

"Hey, Ino! Come help us out here! _You're_ the one in charge at the cash register!" Sakura called to her, having a difficult time working at the front with the customers.

"Okay, I'm coming!" Ino flashed a gleeful smile at the snake kunoichi before returning back to work. "Bye, Anko-sensei! Try and enjoy the event!"

"See ya, kiddo." Anko smiled after the Yamanaka girl as she made her way through the crowd and back to her workstation.

Sighing inwardly, Anko swiveled around and headed back to her apartment, wanting to escape from the din of the loud crowds in the village. She could care less about this event, concluding she wasn't going to receive roses from anyone and she will neither be giving out a rose to anyone in return. The only man she'd ever loved was somewhere else, and she would never see him again.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko was utterly taken aback the next morning when she found a bundle of at least fifteen to twenty red roses at her doorstep. She was stunned on how many roses she got that morning, astonished that anyone in the village would take a strong liking to her. All of the red roses were attached with a love note on the steams, revealing who her admirers are. Though she felt…flattered that someone found her attractive, she felt nothing in return as she read the letters. Her heart belonged to one man, and her admirers were none of them.

The violet-haired kunoichi picked up the bundle of red roses in her apartment, writing jilting letters back to her senders and then head out to the Yamanaka Flower Shop to buy yellow roses to send back to them. It took her most of the day hopping around the village to her admirers' residences to give them their reply roses back, not wanting to see them in person and just left them on their doorsteps for them to see when they return home. Though she didn't care for this event, it seemed like the right thing to do rather than have the men think she was rude enough not to give them an answer. Well, not every man, at least.

When Anko was sorting out the red roses earlier that day, she was surprised to find a different colored rose among the pile of red roses. It was a violet rose, something that was not part of the Rose Exchange event. To make it even more odd, the sender of the violet rose did not leave a note on the steam, so his identity was anonymous.

Anko took the purple rose she kept in a vase when out on her errand and treaded back to the Yamanaka Flower Shop that afternoon to ask Ino. When she entered, she saw that the shop was crowded and loud as the previous day, females and males shoving against one another to get a flower to reply to their sweethearts or reject a person who have feelings for them.

The Special Jōnin waited an entire hour until it was in the late afternoon when Ino took a break from her noisy customers to come over to the snake kunoichi. Wiping off a sheen of sweat on her forehead, the blond girl strode over to her.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Anko-sensei," Ino apologized, folding her arms across her chest. "So, this is the second time I've seen you today. Is there something I can help you with?"

Anko held up the violet rose. "Do you know the meaning of this color rose and who might've purchased it?"

Ino's blue optics stared at it skeptically for a moment before looking back at the older woman. "Well, it's not one of our flowers. I don't have any violet roses in stock because of the event—only red, white, and yellow roses. I don't know who got it for you, but I can tell you the meaning of that rose. Violet roses means 'love at first sight.'"

"Love at first sight…?" Anko repeated, baffled. Her curiosity spiked to a new level at the newfound knowledge, and her cheeks flushed bright pink from the flattery of her a secret admirer.

Ino giggled bubbly at the purple-haired kunoichi's crimson face, plucking a red rose out of a nearby pot by her feet and brought it up to Anko. "Here you are, Sensei. Take this rose and give it to your secret admirer, if you find out who he is. "

"Uh, thanks, kid." Anko accepted it from the blond girl reluctantly, not entirely sure she will have much luck finding who it is. She didn't care who it was, to be honest. The Rose Exchange meant nothing to her because there wasn't anyone in the Leaf that she loved. However, she didn't want to disappoint the young Genin, so she paid for it. "I'll be going now."

"Okay, go and nab that guy of yours!" Ino cheered jovially for the violet-haired woman.

Anko grinned nervously at her. "I'll try. Bye, Ino."

"Good-bye, Anko-sensei!" The Yamanaka girl waved farewell as the snake kunoichi left her family shop again. Huffing out her chest in pride, she pivoted around and went back to work. There were still a lot of customers to deal with, and it was almost the end of the first day for the Rose Exchange.

ஜ ~ ஜ

The door creaked open with a squeak, Anko shutting it behind her as she came inside her apartment with her free hand, the other one gripping the purple rose and the red rose. The snake kunoichi lifted the violet rose to her face, moving it close to her nose to inhaled its nice, fresh scent. She pondered who would give it to her for the Rose Exchange, and why did he did it. It was probably someone who wanted to impress her by saying that they loved her since he first saw her.

"It matches my hair," Anko stated quietly, tugging on one of her purple tresses that were loose from her spiky ponytail. She exhaled a tired sigh, deciding to forget who gave her the flower if they didn't even have the courage to tell her who he was.

She strolled to her bedroom slowly, kicking off her ninja sandals on the floor and not caring where they ended up. She was exhausted from today and wanted some sleep, though she doubted she would get any. The citizens of the village were still wandering in the streets to confess their romantic feelings to the person they love through roses, which meant that they would making noise outside her apartment.

Anko went past her kitchen; ignoring the trashcan that was filled with the red roses she received for her other admirers. She didn't care for the red roses she got from those men, so she just threw them away. Those men were a bunch of cowards in her opinion, since they gave them to her by leaving it outside her home, rather than giving it too her in person. They were too scared of her to give to her directly. Who wouldn't be? She was, after all, _his_ student.

Flickering on the light switch, Anko jumped when she spotted a shocking visitor sitting there on her bed, his haughty stare gazing up from the picture of him and a young Anko to look at her with a small smirk. Anko was too stunned to move as the snake stood up from the edge of the bed. He put the framed, cherished photo back on the shelf behind her bed, and started to slither closer to his lover.

"Hello, my dear." His pale hand reached out to touch caress her cheek, and Anko snapped out of her daze when her mind registered that the person she saw in front of her was not just a hallucination. He _was_ the real thing, but why was he here? He told her that they weren't going to meet again when she denied his offer to leave the Leaf Village to live with him. She thought she'd never get to see him again afterwards, but he was _here_.

A lump formed in the back of her throat, overwhelmed with emotions for her former sensei. When she found her voice, it came out more like a quiet croak. "W-What are you doing here?"

The corners of Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile, his hand still stroking her red-colored cheek. "I came here to see you, of course, my dearest Anko, and for my rose reply."

The snake kunoichi gasped at his insinuation, her eyes widening as she glanced back down a violet rose in her left palm and back at the Snake Sannin. Everything clicked in her head just then, and she knew that _he_ was that her gave the violet rose.

"My answer, then?" he pressed her with a brief chuckle.

Shyly, she twirled the steam of the red rose for a moment before she brought it up to him, a happy smile spreading across her blushing face. It was a token of her love for him, one that he gladly returned when his lips locked on hers in a long, sweet kiss. Anko moaned against his mouth, coiling her arms his neck to pull him closer to her body. Heat bloomed in her core swiftly when his tongue darted inside her mouth, exploring the sweetness of her hot recesses.

In the middle of their ardent kiss, Anko's eyelids lifted slightly open to see the naked passion crackling in his amber irises, and he could see that same need in her too. She couldn't deny it from him, she didn't want to. She wasn't nearly strong enough to hide it from him. She wanted his nude body on hers until they melded together, and she trembled with carnal need for that desire.

"Please," she whispered breathlessly, parting their lips an inch away from each other. "Take me."

In a fluid, graceful movement, he swept her off her feet and held her in his muscled arms. He carried her to the soft bed and then plopped her down, taking the violet and red roses out of her hand and threw them on the shelf. Orochimaru stripped her off her coat and skirt quickly, yanking the top of her mesh bodysuit halfway down her figure and then stopped to snap off the lacey crimson bra she wore and cast it aside on the floor. He suckled her voluptuous breasts one at a time, teasing the tight pink nipples with the sharp point of his fangs.

He reveled when he heard Anko whimpered and writhed fervently under him, her fingers entwining and gripping in his lustrous, beautiful ebony hair. His hot mouth traveled to the smooth plane of her abdomen, planting fiery kisses on every inch of her heated skin. Pale hands came to her sides, tugging the rest of her bodysuit and red panties off and onto the wooden floor in a hasty motion, adding the rest of Anko's garments to the pile of clothes on the ground.

He dipped his head down into the juncture of her lovely, slender thighs and plundered into her warm, wet core, his tongue cleaving the slick folds. Her first orgasm took her totally by surprise, and Anko threw her head back into the pillow and cried out in pleasure. "Orochimaru! Ahh!"

"You taste delicious," the Snake Sannin murmured seductively against her wetness, his palms skating up and down her burning flesh. Anko moved her hands to his shoulders to push him up and flipped them around, allowing her to be on top. She breathed in broken gasps as she began to undress him while her bare thighs straddled him. She undid his purple obi and drew up his tunic and the black polo neck he wore underneath it.

The snake kunoichi ran her fingertips up and down his chiseled torso, worshipping his masculine beauty with her hands and mouth, tracing patterns and nipping on the patches of his snow-white flesh. His muscles were taut and perfect, and she kissed up his chest to his throat until her lips came to his ear to speak to him, her voice husky from the passion and fresh, kindling need that inflamed her.

"I've missed you… Do you have any idea how many times I wanted to seek you out after you left the village? I wanted to see you again so badly, to be with you again, despite the fact you hurt me. Even then, I still wanted you. It's you, Orochimaru, it's always been you."

He growled against the nape of her neck—a sound that echoed power and possessiveness at her throaty confession. He snaked his hand in her head, harshly pulling at the tie that held up her hair. Violet tresses cascaded down her shoulders beautifully, and he gripped her skull roughly to push her away from his ear and kissed her with animalistic ferocity. Anko knew he was a ferocious lover, and she relished and welcomed his fierce love for her.

His lips created a trail of fevered kisses down from her neck and to the center of her chest; stopping to lavished the undersides of her creamy breasts. Meanwhile, Anko's digits stripped him off his pants, taking them off hastily to add the last of his clothes to the heap on the floor. Both of their bodies radiated with lust for one another, the couple marveling at each other's glorious nudity before their mouths joined in a demanding, ravaging kiss.

Maneuvering their hips together, Orochimaru thrust into the plush, wet folds of her cleft, hissing slightly when Anko's nails grasped onto his shoulders, scoring his skin until they drew blood. He felt her hands were fumbling and raking his back to find something to hold on to as he rammed into her, his rhythm increasing harder and faster as he moved in and out of her luscious body. Anko screamed out his name as she climaxed, another orgasm roaring up within her like a storm. She cried out again when it struck, burrowing her face into his shoulder as he rocked his pelvis against her in a wild tempo.

"Don't stop! Ah, Orochimaru!" she moaned and shouted with need; panting heavily with the bliss he was granting her. She sighed against his mouth when he captured hers in a long, passionate caress. She met his furious strokes again and again, returning the same pleasure/pain she was experiencing to him. Her release triggered his, both breaking apart from their kiss and the Snake Sannin slid out of her when he felt that she had reached her limit.

He came to her side and cuddled her form close to his, nuzzling her neck while the tips of his teeth teased the tender flesh where he branded his Curse Mark on her. Anko stroked her hand up and down his chest, her skin sheening with sweat. Her eyelids were half-closed; a smile graced her sated face as she admired her lover's seductive, sweaty form. He was so beautiful, so perfect. He was everything she ever wanted in her life and more.

"Mmm…" The snake kunoichi snuggled further into his possessive embrace, shifting her body until she found a comfortable position she wanted to lay in. A few moments of silence stretched between the lovers as they fondled each other sweetly, both relaxing from the aftershocks of sex, tremors of their release rippling through them. A thought hit her when memories of her first night with Orochimaru flashed in her mind, three single words she wanted to hear from his lips before the night was over.

Her gentle hands cupped his face, rising up to look at him with her intense, heated gaze, the pad of her thumbs caressing his cheekbones lovingly. Those glimmering, molten gold orbs locked to her brown dusky ones, peering studiously to read her with but a glance.

"What?" he inquired in a honey-toned voice, taking one hand off his face to give the center of her palm a brief kiss.

"I just need to hear it once," she whispered longingly, pressing her forehead on his, their lips brushing over each other in a feather-light motion. Knowing exactly what Anko wanted to hear, he breathed those wonderful words in her ear. Anko smiled, her heart melting when she heard it. She rested her cheek on his chest as she murmured softly, "I love you, too…"

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko woke up the next morning in Orochimaru's firm embrace, her back to his chest and his arms wrapped around her waist tightly. Light kisses were being planted down the graceful column of the nape of her neck, his snakelike tongue dancing across her flesh.

"How long have you've been awake?" the purple-haired woman asked drowsily, hiding the surprise she felt that he was still here. She'd expected him to sneak off into the night before anyone could sense or see he was here in her bedroom, but the snake was still here, tangled under the blanket with her. Drifting her optics to the window, she saw the curtains were drawn over it, obscuring anyone from taking a peek inside her room.

"Not long." The Sannin halted his licking on her neck to move to where the Curse Mark was. He gave her tender flesh a sharp nip of is fangs and then peppered her with fiery kisses along the slope of her neck and shoulder. "I enjoy watching you sleep."

Anko smiled joyously, trying her best to refrain from giggling out loud from his sweet, uncharacteristic display of affection. "Hmph… That doesn't sound very exciting."

Turning her body to face him, she brought her arms around his neck and kissed him with renew passion and want. Desire pooled at her core and she smirked against his mouth when she felt his arousal from his hard erection. She was loomed over by him after a few seconds of innocent kissing, hunger ratcheting in him to make love to her all over again and again. However, he wanted to try and get the one thing he wanted her to say to him.

"Come to Sound with me, Anko."

She parted her lips away from his, and frowned sadly. "No."

He kissed her once more, but more demandingly this time. "Come with me."

Though her heart screamed at her to accept his offer this time, her choice remained the same. "I _can't_."

What an obstinate woman she was, the Snake Sannin thought. Orochimaru sighed at her stubbornness, taking a few strands of violet hair in his hand and eased his head down to brush his lips on those lovely tendrils. He smiled devilishly at her, claiming her mouth in a rough kiss, sucking away her breath as she gasped in pleasure. "Why can't you be obedient?"

Anko shook her head, smoothing his black fringes from his simmering golden irises. "I'm not the same ignorant girl I was back then, who didn't know a thing about you. I see you much more clearly now. I won't betray you or the Leaf."

"Your loyalties are so unwavering, my dear." Orochimaru captured her lips in a fervor caress, and then there were no more words between them. The room was then only filled with the sounds of the sighs and moans of a passionate woman well pleasured and fully sated.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko twisted the shower faucet and stepped in under the hot spraying water, sighing in content as it sluiced over her exhausted figure, soothing rather than beating into her bones and sore muscles for once in her life. She braced her hands on the tiles, arching her back in a feline grace and shut her eyes. Her body was still humming in delight after she spent hours of lovemaking with the Snake Sannin, her spirit and mind at ease—all of her stress and anger flooded out.

Lost in the bliss, the snake kunoichi didn't notice that he had entered the spacious shower; his palms skating over her tensed shoulders and slipped around her waist, moving her away from the wall and to him. Anko gasped slightly, but she relaxed when she felt a different kind of warmth, his pallid fingers skimming over the smooth plane of her stomach.

"I'm happy…that you came back, even though you said you wouldn't." Anko confessed softly, closing her eyes when he flipped her around to get a good look at her sleepy, tired face. She didn't want to get lost in the trance of those hypnotic hues, knowing it will force her to halt the next solemn words to him. "But I still won't go with you and leave the village. My place is here."

"Your place is with me." Orochimaru hissed in her ear, clutching her body closer to his until their hips flushed and Anko breathed out a relished moan on how perfectly they fit together. Her eyelids lifted open, her dusky brown optics connecting his molten gold slits, the gnawing doubts of where she _wanted_ to go and where she _should_ be conflicted against one another in her mind.

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't…" she whispered, keeping her irises locked on his as her brows furrowing sternly. "But at least I know no one here is going to break my heart like you did."

An awkward silence hung above them when those words went past her lips, but neither one of them was able to let go of the other. The stillness spread between them for a few more moments, the only sound emanating from the hot spray of the running water above their heads, until Anko broke it and spoke again. It hurt to bring the subject up again after hours of sharing their passion to each other, but it needed to be said. Anko needed him to know exactly how she felt about him and why; in spite of the fact it was killing her to voice it out loud.

"I still hate you, you know, for what you did." The violet-haired woman burrowed her face into his torso, covering the shaky sobs she was unable to hold back. "You know I'd regained my memories, right, back in the Land of the Sea? I remembered… I remembered everything—I was the one that refused to go with you. Before then, I was…_dying_ inside everyday, agonizing why you abandoned me when you knew that you were all I had. When I got them back, I was happy to know what really happened, but I was angry because you erased my memories to make me believed that _you_ left _me_, not the other way around. Why did you do that?"

"I wanted _you_ to come back to _me_. That's how it was supposed to be, my dear." The Snake Sannin tipped her chin up and leaned in for a kiss, but Anko recoiled. He frowned at her rejection, but maintained the tight distance between them. "Why don't you tell me why you refused to come to me when I'd offered you my hand?"

"Come with you, only to be used and then cast aside by you at a later time?" Her voice was brittle and bitter, contempt dripping in her words acidly. "I'm not stupid. That wasn't the kind of life for me. I wasn't going to let you corrupt me anymore than you already did. My reason for rejecting you back then is the same reason why I can't go with you and leave the Leaf Village. The Sound Village have no life to give me, it's not my life."

"It could be."

Anko shook her head, and then buried her face in the crook of his neck, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "No, it can't, and I haven't exactly forgiven you for what happened."

"What are you trying say?" he asked her, pushing her away to look at each other face to face. Her eyes carried a deep sadness and regret in them, but her resolve remained _somewhat_ strong, due the doubts that was floating around in her head.

"I hate you…and I love you. I want to be with you, but I can't. And no matter how much I love you, I can't trust you. You lied to me and turned my whole life upside down. I won't be played for a fool in one of your games. Not again, _ever_."

Golden orbs glared at her in disapproval, his voice clearly dissatisfied. "It has never been a game, Anko. _Never_."

"Give me one good reason why should I believe you." The snake kunoichi shifted her body to break away from his embrace, but he only pulled her further in. "You're asking me to come with you, to trust and live with you, after _everything_ we've been through? Sorry, but I don't know whether I can believe you or not. You've hurt so much, and I don't want to go through all of that crap again."

Another silence hung in the air for a few moments, and it was the Sannin's turn to break it. "Anko, how do you see me? I want to hear it from you instead of guessing it for myself."

"I… _We_ only recently started to meet each other like this, being intimate and everything, and I loved it. But, I was happy with you being my sensei, happy that you were my guardian…" Anko's voice trailed off a brief moment before she continued in a low, melancholy tone. "You're like a beast in human form. You're an animal and liar, and there's will always be that evil in you that I can't trust. You still have so many secrets, and everything's different between us. Last night, you said you love me, but, to be honest, I'm not sure if you really like me that much. I love you, yes, but there's so many emotions mixing together, I can't…"

The desire to hide her tears, which was mixing together with the rush of the water, with her hands flared, but Orochimaru cupped her lamentable face and forced her to look at him with teary, wavering eyes. His expression was slightly disappointed, but it was also sort of…tender, too?

"It's fine if you're not ready. I have time to wait for you. Forever, in fact." He lowered his mouth onto hers, sending waves of smoldering fire racing through her veins as her wants overcame her again. His hands groped to her rear to heave her up to him, and Anko clasped her legs instinctively around his waist as he shoved her against the cold shower tiles.

She moaned, holding onto him as firmly as she could, not wanting him to ever let go. Although she knew what her illicit relationship meant to her loyalties with the Leaf Village, she didn't to deny her desires anymore. There are some feelings that one could never let go, even if those feelings were to hurt someone close to her. Anko realized it then as she kissed heatedly with her S-class criminal lover.

When he drew away from her, she was reluctant to let go. She snaked one hand behind his hand to drag his mouth back on hers, but he did not comply. He chuckled at her eagerness, dropped her to her feet and turned her so that her back was facing him. She glanced over her shoulder and through the steamy mist of hot water to see the lustful gleam in his golden irises, confused by his actions.

"Brace your hands on the wall and arch your back," he told her, and with a pleasured, playful grin, she obeyed. She planted her palms flat on the shower tiles and arched her backside to him, her body tingling with ecstasy when his hands started skating over her flawless skin.

He coiled his arms around her delicate waist once more before he rammed inside her core from behind. Anko shrieked at the sudden rapturous assault in her dark, swollen folds, which soon dissolved in delighted gasps and moans. He moved in a slow rhythm at first, but when he started to pound, Anko saw stars and then everything else blurred together.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko let out another fevered groan as her release blasted at her, breaking her apart from within like million white-hot, shimmering pieces. She collapsed in Orochimaru's strong arms, her figure trembling with the aftershock of her climax, her body sprawled over his impressive form on the bed. As much as she enjoyed the incredible, mind-blowing ravishment between them, she knew it didn't change the fact she was still mad at him for what happened all those years ago. She was always one to hold grudges, after all. However, it felt so good to lie in the Snake Sannin's embrace, awash in pure bliss and comfort.

He hugged her closely to him; his arms were like an iron grip that refused to let her go. It was nighttime when they were finished making love, the sounds of fireworks and the noisy din of the citizens of the Leaf Village celebrating the last day of the Rose Exchange could be heard in the distance. Anko was glad for the Rose Exchange now; it gave her chance to see her lover again.

His hands stroked her thighs and back leisurely and nuzzled her neck as she laid on him, while she idly tracing patterns over the fine contours of his bare chest.

"You're very beautiful…" he murmured in her neck, flickering his tongue out to licked over the love bites on her throat.

She smiled at his praise for her, her cheeks heating up as if they caught aflame. "I want to be beautiful to you, that's how you make me feel."

They kissed again, their tongues wresting for dominance while leading a fiery dance in the erotic joining of their mouths. Anko withdrew first, resting her cheek on his chest and sighed happily.

"You're insatiable," she teased in a light-hearted tone, and he chuckled lightly at her remark.

It really did feel good to have his dear ex-student on him naked, her violet hair tousled from their lovemaking. Even though she kept turning down his offer to come with him to Sound, he wasn't about give up so easily. He'll seduce her as many times he needs to until she finally gives in to him and become permanently his, far away from this pathetic Leaf Village that she called a home. She belonged to him, so it was only fitting that she would be by his side as one of his soldier and as his lover.

"Go to sleep, Anko." He bent his head down to give her an affectionate kiss on her head, pleased she responded by snuggling into him more. His yellow, slitted optics watched her sleep for a long time, relishing how peaceful and vulnerable she looked. As slumber enveloped him too, he shut his eyes and settled comfortably next to his Anko.

ஜ ~ ஜ

The couple woke up early morning when the first rays of dawn rose up in the sky. It was time for the Snake Sannin to go before anyone catches him in here with Anko. The snake kunoichi watched him as he slipped on his discarded clothes from off the floor, sitting up in the bed with the blanket clutched to her exposed bosom.

When he was done, Orochimaru pivoted around to see the regret in her brown hues. "You're certain you don't want to come?"

She nodded slowly, although she didn't want to be apart from him again. "Yeah…"

Her answer didn't surprise him in the least, but he still wasn't pleased with it. "Very well, then."

"Will I see you again…?" she inquired hopefully, her gaze averting down to the floor. She wouldn't blame him if he _didn't_ want to see her anymore, but her fear was reassured. Smiling gently, he sauntered over to the edge of the bed, gripped her chin, and crashed his lips on hers in an ardent kiss.

When he moved back, Orochimaru smirked at her slyly. "I'm sure you will."

Anko's heart soared in joy and relief inside her breastbone. "Promise?"

He kissed her one more time, but harder and longer. He kissed a path up her collarbone, relishing how responsive she still was to his touch. The pale-skinned man came at a stop by her ear, mumbling a sweet vow to her before he departed.

"I promise."


	10. Willful Promises

Kurenai fidgeted nervously outside Anko's apartment door several days after the Rose Exchange. She was unsure on how she should approach the snake kunoichi to invite her out to celebrate the success of the event for the Leaf Village with their friends. She was happy they were able to briefly exchange a few words before the Rose Exchange took place, but it was the last time she really saw the violet-haired woman. Anko was still hiding in her apartment, not daring to face anyone unless it was for a mission. Exhaling a deep sigh in the cold night, the female Jōnin rapped her knuckles on the door and waited.

The door opened slightly, showing one brown eye peeking out from the creak. Kurenai's spirit lifted; surprised that Anko actually opened it, although it was nothing more than a small wedge.

"Hey, Anko."

"Hi, Kurenai." Anko smiled faintly at her friend, moving the door a little more to show her entire face. "Is there something you want?"

Kurenai noted the sadness behind her smile, but there was also an odd, serene emotion hidden beneath those caramel hues of hers. Her voice was quiet, almost curt and fatigued, and through the creak of the door, Kurenai's crimson optics spotted bandages wrapped around Anko's neck, raising the raven-haired beauty's concern for her friend.

Clearing her throat in anxiety, she forced a cheerful tone while resisting the urge to ask the question about the bandages. "Um, I was wondering if you'd like to come and celebrate with me and a few our friends. We're hosting a small party since the Rose Exchange event was such a success, and the village made a lot of money."

Anko lowered her head to stare at her feet, her bangs falling over her eyes as she contemplated on the offer. She didn't want to go out since her neck was covered in gauze to hide the love bites she received from Orochimaru a few nights ago. She wanted to wait until they heal before going out in public, and she couldn't go the Leaf Hospital because that would bring up suspicion on how she got the lacerations on her throat. She was lucky the other marks on her body were concealed under her clothes, but she knew she wouldn't be able to hide them forever.

"Um… All right, Kurenai." Anko accepted reluctantly, not wanting her friend to worry about her. She'll just make some lie that she cut herself on a branch while training.

The Jōnin beamed broadly. "Great, c'mon!"

Grabbing Anko's hand through the creak of the door, she dragged the snake kunoichi out to Yakiniku Q.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Hey, there they are!" Asuma hollered in joy when he saw his lover and her best friend walking over to his table with Kakashi, Ibiki, Genma, Izumo, Kotetsu, Raidō, Guy, Iruka, and Aoba.

"Sorry we're late." Kurenai apologized, plopping Anko down to cushion next to her at the huge table.

"It's good to see you, Anko." Genma grinned at her with his sweet, boyish smile. "It feels like it's been ages since we last saw you. What've you been up to?"

Anko shrugged her shoulders lightly, adjusting the collar of her khaki coat to cover up the gauze on her neck. "Nothing much."

"Really? That isn't what Ino told me." Asuma teased her with a good-natured laugh. "She told me some mystery man that sent you a violet rose during the first day of the Rose Exchange, and we never saw you on the second day. Does that mean you were able to find your secret admirer?"

The Special Jōnin tensed at his question, squirming uncomfortably in her seat. "I guess you can say that…"

"Really? So who was it?" Kurenai pressed on, her blood-red orbs shining brightly in anticipation.

"Someone who wasn't from here." Anko answered, trying her best not to lie to her friends.

"What's his name?" Izumo inquired curiously. "Maybe we know him while the event was going on. We had a lot of visitors from the other nations coming for the Rose Exchange, and Kotetsu and I were stationed at the gates the whole time. We made the list of the people who entered and exited the village, so we might've saw him."

The snake kunoichi blushed furiously, guilt clenching her stomach when the images of her time with Orochimaru during the event raced through her mind. Kurenai, noticing her discomfort, piped up to her defense. "Hey, let's not bother Anko with any more questions, all right?"

Anko flashed a grateful look at the genjutsu specialist as Asuma spoke up and raised a glass of sake in the air.

"All right, then! Cheers for a successful fund raiser for the village!" he proclaimed jovially. The group of friends joined in the happy toast and gulped down their drinks, except for Anko. She just smiled a little and let her mind drifted elsewhere, a blank expression surfacing on her face.

"It's a relief that the village will be able to pay for more repairs for the village," Kotetsu commented. "It means less missions for us."

"Still, no matter how you look at it, the village is still in a dire state because of Orochimaru's invasion." Raidō pointed out in a matter-of-factly tone. "I don't think the Leaf can take another attack from anyone else right now."

"Come on, Raidō, don't be so negative." Aoba chided his friend in a laid-back voice, smiling confidently. "With Lady Hokage's guidance, the village will be back to normal in no time!"

It was then Ibiki decided to join in the conversation. "I agree with Raidō. There aren't many shinobi available for missions since so many of us are ordered here to protect the village. Lady Hokage is even sending out Genin on higher ranked missions since our forces are so low."

"Well, aren't you two just a lovely ray of sunshine." Kakashi stated sarcastically, raking a hand through his silver hair. "If I were you guys, I wouldn't just count the Genin out just yet. There's lot of potential in each and every one of them. Look at my students for example. Naruto and Sakura are training under two of the Legendary Sannin, and they're making great progress."

Asuma nodded his head in agreement, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, even Shikamaru and the others are improving their skills."

"My students, too!" Kurenai added in proudly.

"And let's not forget my wonderful students, as well!" Guy declared loudly, all eyes focusing on the flamboyant Jōnin. "Lee is training twice as hard than before, and Neji and Tenten are starting to embrace the spirit of youth!"

A din of chuckles and sniggers aroused from the gathering ninja at the table, laughing at the green-clad man with thick eyebrows for his passionate outburst of pride about his students.

"Hey, that reminds me. Anko," Genma turned his head to look at the silent violet-haired woman from his seat at one end of the table. "Didn't you lead a squad of Genin a little while ago during your mission in the Land of the Sea?"

Snapping out her daze, the snake kunoichi bobbled her head. "Yeah, I did."

"How did it go? It was your first time leading a couple of kids, right?"

"They were fine. That little maggot, Naruto, was the most impressive." Anko replied with a smile, fond memories of her time with her Genin came back to her. "Shino and Ino were good subordinates, too."

Iruka beamed at the compliment of the Uzumaki boy who he saw as a little brother. "I'm glad Naruto's doing okay. He didn't caused you trouble on the mission, did he?"

"Not really."

"By the way, Anko, is something wrong with your neck? You have bandages on it. Are you injured?" Kakashi quizzed, pointing at her throat as Ibiki's onyx irises narrowed at her intensely.

Anko jumped in alarm, her breath caught in her throat before she stammered out her excuse. "I…just scratched myself on a branch when I was training a few days ago."

The sadist didn't look convinced; worried that Anko was cutting herself again. "_Really_, Anko?"

The snake kunoichi read the doubt on his scarred face easily, and she frowned at him in irritation. "_Yes_, Ibiki, _really_. It's not what you think."

The others felt the tension that sparked between the two Special Jōnin, their optics transferring back and forth between them awkwardly.

"Come on, you guys, don't fight," Kurenai pleaded.

Anko snorted, swiveling her head in the opposite direction to avoid looking at the sadist. She knew he was worried about her and she appreciated it, but she found it insulting that he would think she was hurting herself on purpose again.

Standing up, Anko brought her hand up in a farewell. "I'm really tired, so I'm just gonna leave."

"Anko, wait, don't g—" The female Jōnin's sentence broke off when she saw the sleeve of her Anko's coat slide back on her arm, revealing wounds. Kurenai's crimson irises widened in fear and she grabbed Anko's right arm to examine her injuries more carefully. "Anko, these are… Did someone hurt you?"

The purple-haired woman panicked, snatching her arm out of her friend's grasp and clutched her arm closely to her chest. How was she going to explain this? They saw the abrasions she got from where Orochimaru when his sharp fangs trailed up and down her arm when he tasted her alabaster skin.

"I'm fine, Kurenai! No one hurt me. I was just training with someone, and his fighting style was just rigorous." Anko lied quickly. She needed to get out of here before they demanded more answers from her.

"You're lying." Ibiki accused her, rising from his seat.

Anko dashed out the restaurant before the male Special Jōnin could strode over and scrutinize her 'injuries'. She ignored the shouts from her friends to come back and ran to her apartment for some peace. This was a mistake. She shouldn't come out with the markings on body she got from her lovemaking with Orochimaru. Now her friends would be harder to avoid if she sees them in the village, and they might even bring the Fifth Hokage into it.

She couldn't let that happen, her life in the Leaf Village would be compromise and they would know that Orochimaru had been frequently visiting her. She would then be branded as a traitor and be locked in a prison cell. She needed to figure out how to solve this mess before it gets out in the open and become worse.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Miss Mitarashi is quite persistent, isn't she?" Kabuto asked casually, working alongside his lord and master in one the basements. He didn't look up from the scroll he was charting down about their most recent experimentations to see the cold glare that was sent his way by the Snake Sannin. Sasuke was down in the training hall, working relentlessly to improve his lightning techniques. "Though you keep seducing her to come on your side, her loyalties prevents her from leaving the Leaf. How will you proceed with your plan to make Miss Anko Mitarashi yours?"

"Anko's sharp, and she certainly isn't as naïve as she was back when she was a child." Orochimaru replied, mixing together chemical substances in a tube from where he was. "But she will come to me eventually, I guarantee it."

Kabuto's lips curled up into a small smirk. "How long to you suppose she'll be able to keep up the false pretenses that she's not betraying her precious village by bedding a S-class criminal?"

"Not long. Anko's…companions are quite close to her. Anko won't be able to keep her cover for long. Either they will force Anko to leave the village, or she will come to me."

"Hmm… It'd be interesting to see how things turn out, wouldn't it?" the silver-haired Sound ninja mused, glancing over his shoulder to see his lord smirking in agreement. "Out of curiosity, my lord, what are your exact plans for Miss Mitarashi?"

"I'll let you know when the time comes. Meanwhile," Orochimaru pivoted around to face his right-hand man. "Kabuto, I have a errand for you."

The medic turned to look at his master, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. His glasses shimmered with an ominous gleam, a knowing grin plastered on his youthful face. "Yes, Lord Orochimaru?"

"Go the Leaf Village, and check on my dearest Anko, won't you?"

Bowing deeply in respect, Kabuto placed a hand over his heart. "Yes, my lord."

"Good. You'll leave in the morning."

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Something's wrong with Anko, you guys. We have to figure out what it is." Kurenai remarked back at the restaurant, extremely worried about the bruises etched on her friend's body. "I'm certain there are wounds on her neck, too. What if someone is hurting her?"

"Kurenai's right, Anko's been acting weird for the last couple of days, worse than usual." Kakashi agreed solmenly; his visible eye was filled with concern for the snake kunoichi. "Something's going on with her, something _bad_. Anko's hiding something, that much is obvious, but we don't exactly what it is."

"She hasn't been acting this way since a 'couple of days', Kakashi." Asuma replied, his expression grim. "She's been like this since our mission when she ran into Kabuto. What he said to her has been bothering her ever since."

"You don't think this has something to do with Orochimaru, do you?" Genma inquired, his voice layered with hatred for the rouge Sannin. "I'm sure it does. This goes way back before your mission shutting that human traffic operation. She's been this way since the Chūnin Exams, since the moment that _wretch_ appeared back in the village."

"That wouldn't surprise me." Ibiki mumbled under his breath, leaning forward in his seat. "Anko's been living on the brink of despair for a long time. She's been that way since Orochimaru left her in the Land of the Sea. She's been lost, broken. It was worse than any of us could imagine."

"Ibiki, you know something, don't you?" Raidō quizzed, referring back to the argument between him and the purple-haired woman earlier tonight. "If this concerns Orochimaru and that is connected to Anko's strange behavior, then we need to know what you know."

The sadist let out a long sigh, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "I promised Anko that I wouldn't tell anyone, but I suppose desperate times calls for desperate measures."

"Anything you can tell us would be of help to us." Kurenai told him.

"There was a time when I found Anko with her body covered in lacerations, ones that she made onto herself." The scarred Special Jōnin watched as each and every one shinobi at the table gasped in shock at the information. "They weren't that bad, and Anko told me why she did it. She said she wanted to escape the pressure she was feeling, and I knew when she said that she meant Orochimaru."

"You don't think Anko is cutting herself again, do you?" Izumo questioned, sharing uneasy looks with Kotetsu.

"No," Asuma answered for Ibiki, shaking his head gravely. "The wounds on Anko's arm were by someone else. The bruises looked like something was scraping something sharp across her skin, but they don't look like knife marks. I think I saw bite marks on her skin, too."

"Oh, my God…" Kurenai covered her gaping mouth with a hand; terror seeping into blood coldly. "You don't think… Could Orochimaru be harming Anko and she isn't telling us about because she's still seeking revenge on him?"

"That's a highly possible reason, but we don't know the facts." Kakashi pointed out. "We need to inform Lady Hokage of this, and then let the ANBU Black Ops take it from there."

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko murmured a ripe curse, flopping facedown on her bed and burrowed her face in the pillow. Damn, what was she going to do now that they saw her arms? She needed to come up a plausible explanation for the injuries on her body. If not, she might as well come clean about her affair with Orochimaru to the Fifth Hokage herself. But she couldn't do that; she'll be labeled as a traitor for the Leaf Village, and then would be pitied upon that Orochimaru was just manipulating her and her naivety was to blame for allowing herself to be toy with again.

She didn't blame them if they did find her as a traitor, because she knew that she was. She'd betrayed the Leaf by sleeping with the enemy, and that was just as bad as deserting the village to join Orochimaru. Forgiveness and redemption was forever out of her reach. She had committed sins that were unforgivable, and she did it willingly.

And then there were her doubts, about whether or not Orochimaru really loved her. He could be playing her for a fool once more; it wouldn't be much as surprise because he was a master of manipulation. He was clever, self-centered, greedy and deadly, just like a poisonous serpent. However, he was also…he was her…

"Damn it!" Anko shouted in frustration, burying her face deeper into her pillow. She couldn't deny that fact anymore. She loved him and she wanted him to love her too. She wanted to believe him, however, there many times when people would say, including Anko herself, that someone like Orochimaru was not capable of love. He only cared about himself and uses others for his own selfish gains.

Knowing that, what options do that leave her with?

If the Leaf Village find out about her illicit relationship with the Snake Sannin, then they will slam the nail on her coffin when they do. She could lie and say that it was Orochimaru's fault, but that in turn will make her former mentor hate her forever and she certainly didn't want that since she finally learned of his…_intense affection _for her. On the other hand, she could leave the Leaf Village and go with Orochimaru like he wanted her to do, but she knew she couldn't bear standing on the sidelines as he plan to crumble the village into dust. The Leaf Village was her home, and her friends lives here as well.

Oh, God… If friends knew about her and Orochimaru, they would hate her and never see her the same way again. She loathed the choice she had to make between being with the one she loved and leaving her home and friends behind who she cared deeply about. What the heck is she supposed to do?

Well, there was one thing she was sure of: She can't stay in the Leaf Village for much longer. She has to leave as soon as possible, before they figure it out and throw her in a cell. However, she will _not_ be going to Orochimaru either. She wondered how he would react when he found out that she left the village the next time he comes to see her. Will he be angry and hate her too? Or will he go out and search for her?

_He wouldn't do that. _Anko thought, shaking her ridiculous musings away as she hoisted herself off the bed and started packing her things. This was the only thing that she could do right now. She can't stay in the Leaf because of what she did with her ex-mentor and she won't be going to where Orochimaru was. She didn't even know _where_ to find him.

The guilt was already eating her alive, the piles of lies and doubts just waiting to burst out. The snake kunoichi knew she couldn't keep the pretenses up for long to the Leaf. The shinobi of the village was not stupid and they would've find out from studying the wounds on her body and her odd behavior. She could never atone for her willful actions.

_Forgive me, Lord Hokage… _Anko sauntered to her bedroom door, gripping the backpack and the other bag in her hand firmly. She'd only packed the things she absolutely need or could not live without—money; clothes; weapons; food; books; her pillow and blanket; a bedroll; and the pictures of her parents and of her and Orochimaru. She gazed over her room for the last time and bowed her head down sadly. _Can sins ever be forgiven?_

Anko didn't know, and she didn't have the will to find out.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Anko Mitarashi is missing!" Shizune reported to the Fifth Hokage the next morning, her ebony eyes wavering with alarm and dread.

"What?" Tsunade bolted from her chair, slamming her palms hard on her desk. "What happened?"

"Kurenai Yūhi went by Anko's apartment this morning and found her gone, with all of things missing. There was no trace of her belongings anywhere. She'd left the village, milady, most likely last night." Shizune explained.

"But why?" Tsunade inquired, slumping down in her chair and bit down on the nail of her thumb. "Why would Anko leave the village?"

"I spoke with Kurenai and the others. They said it because of what they told you yesterday," the young medic replied. "About her might having a connection to Orochimaru."

"By leaving the village without my permission, that proves that our suspicions was correct. Anko was secretly seeing Orochimaru behind our backs." The Fifth Hokage stood up in her seat once more, asserting her voice in an authoritative tone. "Send out the ANBU! Alert the shinobi on guard at the border to keep an eye out for Anko Mitarashi! She must not be allowed to leave the Land of Fire!"

"Yes, my lady!" Her trusty aide rushed of the office to deliver the orders. Tsunade pounded a fist down her desk in anger, causing cracks to from the harsh pressure from her inhuman strength.

_Damn it… Some Hokage I am…_ Tsunade cursed, feeling responsible for Anko's defection. _I drove her to this… This is my fault…_

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Anko Mitarashi has left the Leaf Village." Kabuto whispered to Snake Sannin while he was observing his protégé training in the training hall. Orochimaru's golden irises enlarged slightly at the news, swiveling around to look at his most faithful subordinate, quietly demanding an explanation from him. "I found out when I left for the village. I wasn't even at the border when I heard that the ninja over there were in a panic searching for Miss Mitarashi, who decided to leave last night."

"Do they know why?"

The medic shook his head. "No, not really. I heard rumors that some believe it had to do with suspicions about her meeting you in secrecy. They said they spotted lacerations on her body and thought it had to do something with you."

"Hmm…" The pale-skinned pivoted his back to his servant, contemplating on what his dear girl was planning to do now that she had defected from the placed she now-once called home. It was clear that she wasn't coming to him anytime soon, judging from the way she didn't send a messenger snake to alert him of her arrival and directions to his current hideout in the Sound Village.

"Should I go look for her?" Kabuto inquired, placing a hand on his hip.

"No, that would take too much time." Orochimaru shook his head with frown. "There's no telling where Anko would head first, but keep your eye out for her if she so happens to wander onto our land."

The medic inclined his head in understanding. "Yes, sir."

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko hopped from tree to tree as fast as her feet could carry her, getting far away from the Leaf Village as possible. Not once did she stop to rest since she snuck out from the village, heading to an unknown destination. She didn't care where she would go, just as long as the Leaf and Orochimaru couldn't find her.

By nightfall, Anko decided it was the time for her to take shelter. She was able to get past the border of the Land of Fire without a being detected, and she needed to take a break. She came upon a rough town named Fūma Alley, where many citizens were beating up each other for petty reasons like bumping into you. There were plenty of thieves and prostitutes strutting in the streets, picking up men and women for sex and money. The town was disgusting, Anko thought, but she had nowhere else to go for the night.

She checked in at a place called Wind Horse Lane Inn, and had to held back the murderous urge to punch the perverted man stationed at the registration desk, who kept staring her bosom. Anko planted her butt in a stool at the bar in the tavern, ignoring all the lustful grins and smirks she was receiving from many of the drunken men at the tables, despite they already have women rubbing their scantily bodies against them. Maybe it was because of her interesting appearance or the dangerous aura she emanated that attracted the men to her. It didn't matter to her, so she shrugged it off as she chow down on her sweet dumplings and sake that she ordered.

The bartender—an old, plump man with a brown beard and a bald head—sat a cup of ale down on the counter for her that she never ordered, and Anko raised her head from her dumplings to give him a perplexed expression.

"From the guy over there." The bartender jerked his head in the direction of her admirer that she didn't attempt to acknowledge. The snake kunoichi shoved the alcohol drink back to the old man and scoffed icily.

"I don't want it." Anko clambered from her seat and exited the tavern for some fresh air. She placed a hand on her forehead, feeling dizzy and woozy from the sake she'd consumed. The cold air fanned at her face, stinging her warm cheeks as she exhaled a sorrowful breath.

Her inhalations of oxygen was interrupted when a clammy hand shot from behind her and muffled her cries, her attacker pulled her back to an alley between the bar and another building. She struggled, but her actions were feeble and sluggish, her muscles weak and loose from the alcohol she drank.

Anko was pinned harshly to the wall, her aggressor's body against hers to force her to remain snared in his trap. The man's filthy hands were skating up and down her legs, hitching her skirt to rub the juncture of her thighs through her mesh bodysuit while his mouth made slobbery trails of saliva on her neck and collarbone.

"Get off!" The violet-haired woman brought her knee to kick the man in the groin, but he dodged it by shifting himself away her incoming shin.

"It isn't very nice to refuse a drink from a gentleman," the man sneered, his foul breath reeking with the scent of stale cigarette and bitter alcohol.

"You're no gentleman," Anko hissed vehemently through clenched teeth. She flinched in agony as she felt the Curse Mark suddenly started to pulsate. Why was it resonating _now_, for no reason at all?

The attacker brushed off the comeback, and the snake kunoichi could see a nasty grin spreading on the man's face in the darkness. "You got me there, but maybe I could teach you some manners, you little bitch."

Anko snarled threateningly when she felt one his palms squeezed her right breast, the other one slapping her across the face to knock her out. Her vision became blurry then, her mouth spitting out blood onto the concrete pavement. Anko growled venomously as the fingers of her attacker made its way to the top of her mesh bodysuit, ready to rip it off to expose her voluptuous chest.

But before he could, something happened. Through her slipping sight, the snake kunoichi saw the color of red—of blood—splattered in the air before her bleary optics. Her knees buckled and Anko fell down to the ground, feeling all of her strength washing away from her. The last thing she heard was the sound of the would-be rapist's horrid, painful screams of pain and the sight of two glowing, golden orbs framed by a curtain of ebony hair gazing down at her.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Heavy eyelids slowly fluttered open, awareness coiling her senses. Anko twitched; the sound of a pencil scrapping its tip on paper was faint to her ears. Her irises met with a dark ceiling, and she squinted her eyelids to block out the lights from blinding her.

"Good, you've regained consciousness," a smooth voice remarked, one that sounded achingly familiar. "How do you feel?"

"Where…am I…?" Anko croaked out, her throat parched and her head was beating like a drum. "My head hurts…"

"You're safe, you should just rest before you try to get up." The man with circular glasses put a glass of water to her mouth, supporting her up in a sitting position to help her drink. However, as soon as the rest of senses kicked into her, Anko spit out the cold liquid—chastising herself in her head for accepting something might have been poison—and curled her hand around the neck of the medic, who merely smiled at her politely.

"Relax, Miss Mitarashi, it's just water. You have my word."

Brown optics broadened when her vision became lucid, her grip loosening around the silver-haired shinobi. "Yakushi…?"

"Just call me Kabuto. That wasn't a very friendly greeting, Miss Mitarashi." He pulled her hand away from his throat and smirked. "Welcome to the Hidden Sound Village."

"The Sound…?" Anko repeated quietly, memories of last night came flooding back to her mind. She recalled how she left the Leaf and wandered to a town, where she was attacked by a man at a bar, and then… Nothing. She must have hit her head last night, and that was why she couldn't remember anything else. "Why am I here?"

"Lord Orochimaru brought you here late last night after he saved you." Kabuto set the glass on a nearby table, and gave her an amused smile. "Make sure to show some gratitude to him for saving you from that scum."

Ignoring what the Sound ninja was trying to insinuate in his all-knowing tone, Anko transferred her eyes down at her body, realizing she was nearly nude, except for her bra and her underwear. She turned her head to Kabuto, glaring at him mistrustfully. "I'm naked."

"You're observant," the medic retorted, his optics drifting from her to the door of the medical room. At the doorway stood a figure, shrouded in the darkness. "Sasuke, come in."

The Uchiha boy did not respond, ignoring the medic and pivoted his head to look at the half-naked woman on the bed with his Sharingan eyes, a cold shimmer in those crimson hues.

"Uchiha…" Anko muttered in disbelief. It's been a long time since she last saw him, and she knew the Sasuke she was seeing now seemed…different than she remembered.

"Mitarashi." Sasuke's aloof voice gave away the annoyance he felt towards the girl that was delaying his training with the Snake Sannin. He swiveled his head to Kabuto. "What is she doing here?"

A flash of anger showed in the silver-haired shinobi, but he retained a calm and collected tone to the imprudent child. "She's our guest for the time being."

"You don't have to worry, Uchiha. I won't be staying long," the purple-haired woman announced, feeling extremely irritated by Sasuke's sharp, accusing voice. "As soon as I'm done here, I'll be off."

"Lord Orochimaru will not be pleased at all." Kabuto said, eyeing her and his lord's future vessel. They've only been in the same room together for less than five minutes, and they were already radiating off hatred for each other.

"Orochimaru's not here right now, and I'm not staying with him. I already made up my mind." Anko argued. Flinging off the blanket, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed to stand up. Her legs went wobbly when her toes made contact to the hard, cold floor and she fell back on the bed. The snake kunoichi was shocked, realizing now that her body felt strangely numb.

"Don't try and stand up, it won't do you any good." The Snake Sannin's right-hand man held up a syringe filled with a strange substance. "I gave you some anesthesia to numb your body. You won't be going anywhere for at least a day."

"I'm not staying here." Anko scowled at the medic for drugging her. "Give me something to make the numbness go away and give me my clothes back."

Kabuto shook his head, offering his trademark half-smile to her. "I'm under orders to not let you leave, so you might as well save your breath, Miss Mitarashi. Besides, where exactly are you planning to go? You've cut your ties to your home, and now you're classified as rouge ninja. The safest place for you is here with us."

"I'd rather by anywhere else but here. I'm not like you or _him_," the violet-haired woman answered, pausing to jerk her head in Sasuke's direction with a sneer etched on her features. "I don't plan living my life in lust of power. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to."

"You're a very ungrateful woman, aren't you?" the Sound ninja inquired rhetorically, pivoting his back to her to run a medical exam on the Uchiha, who finally decided to enter the medical room. Sasuke slid out one arm from under his white shirt, holding it for Kabuto to take a blood sample as the medic continued to speak with the his female patient. "Show a little respect for the person who saved you during your mission to shut down Seiteki's human traffic operation."

"Don't forget that I let you go, rather than stopping you from escaping when my comrades showed up." Anko countered, scanning the room to find where her clothes were in a basket for safekeeping, along with her bags and weapons.

"Great. Codependent relationship." Kabuto replied sarcastically. He sauntered to her and eased her back on the narrow bed. "Don't strain yourself. I gave you a good dosage of anesthesia, moving your body while the numbness is still there would only make it harder for you."

The snake kunoichi smacked his hands off her in a swift movement, her irises blazing with anger. "Don't touch me."

He inclined his head in a small nod, and obliged to her demand. He went back to examining Sasuke, glancing over his shoulder once and a while to check on her. As Anko observed them from where she laid on the bed, her mind was brainstorming for a plan to escape from the hideout and get back on the road, far away from Orochimaru. Although, a part of wanted to stay and see him one more time and say good-bye to him properly, but she knew that would make it harder for her to leave.

"When will Orochimaru be back?" Sasuke questioned Kabuto, and Anko tensed mildly at the sound of her lover's name, eagerly anticipating the answer from Orochimaru's infamous servant. She'd guessed that the pale-skinned shinobi was out somewhere else, since the Curse Mark wasn't resonating with his presence like it did last night.

"Soon, when he's finished with his errand."

"Hmph."

The room was silent after that short exchange of words, and Anko paid no mind to what Kabuto or Sasuke was doing now. She flexed the muscles in her legs under the covers, hoping to force some of the numbness away.

Sasuke left after a few minutes to return to his training, leaving Anko alone with the silver-haired shinobi. He was stroking a few keys on a computer in the room, not worried that Anko was going to escape because of the drug. Anko surged her body upwards to sit on the bed, and smoothing her hand over her figure to feel that all of her wounds were now gone. Kabuto must've healed her while she was asleep, but she didn't open her mouth to thank him. Instead, he opened his to get answers out of her.

"Why did you leave the Leaf Village?"

"That's none of you business." Anko responded coldly.

"Perhaps," Kabuto mused, shrugging his shoulders. "But I do find it interesting why someone like you, who was so loyal to the Leaf, would just abandoned her home after repeatedly refusing to come with Lord Orochimaru. Did the Leaf figured out you were bedding a S-class criminal?"

Anko glared lethal daggers at his back. "Shut up, Kabuto."

The medic chuckled at her reaction to the sore subject. "Forgive me, Lady Anko."

"Lady?" The snake kunoichi raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"You are Lord Orochimaru's lover, so I must start treating you in a proper manner. Or would you prefer me to call you 'Miss Mitarashi'?"

"Anko."

Kabuto pivoted around to look at her, his lips quirking into a half-smile. "Hmm?"

"Just call me Anko," she told him in a low mumble, offering the same request as he did to her when they met on her mission. The Sound ninja nodded his head, and then turned his attention back to the monitor. "What is Orochimaru planning to do with me?"

"Nothing in particular. You're his lover, and I'm sure he doesn't want you to stray off somewhere else. He wants you all to himself."

Heat made its way to her cheeks at the response. "Is that so…?"

"Why do you insist on trying to escape from Sound?" he proceeded to quiz her. "I would have guessed that you want to be with Lord Orochimaru after what happened between you two."

"You wouldn't understand." Anko replied simply.

"You may be right about that. In any case," Kabuto swiveled around and started to stride to the doorway. "I have things to attend to. Stay here and be nice and quiet."

The Sound shinobi only got a defiant snort in return, and he grinned her fiery attitude before leaving. When his footsteps vanished down the long corridor, Anko sprung her plan into action as she dropped her legs to the floor once more. She felt her knees buckled, but she was determined to get out of the snake's den, before Orochimaru gets back from his 'errand'. She walked to where her clothes were and hastily slipped them on, strapping her bags and weapons on her back. Once she was done, she peeked through the door to make sure that the coast was clear.

She staggered down the dimly lit hallway, in the direction where she believed the exit was. The hideout was like a maze with its long and identical corridors, and the snake kunoichi had no idea how long she took to find the door that led to her freedom. She followed where the cool breeze wafted inside the base, following the invisible wind current until she found the exit. When Anko saw the opening that led to the outdoors, she beamed and took a step forward, but halted when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Where are you going?"

Anko didn't need to turn around to know whom the owner of that icy voice belonged to. "You don't really care, do you, Uchiha? I thought I'm doing you a favor by leaving."

"I could care less what you do." The dark-haired youth moved closer to her by a few steps.

"Good, then do me a favor and don't tell Kabuto."

"You won't be able to leave. You're wasting your time." Sasuke told her calmly, pointing a finger towards the exit. "The entrance to the hideout has a seal from the outside. No one can leave unless they use the right series of hand signs to release it. It's a failsafe to prevent prisoners here from escaping."

"Huh, that so?" Anko pivoted to face the young boy, her eyes locking on his crimson hues that were his Sharingan. "Are you helping me leave this place?"

She didn't get a reply because his Sharingan peered deeply into her optics. By the time she figured out what he was doing, she became woozy and collapsed onto the floor, muttering a harsh curse at Sasuke for snaring her into a genjutsu as she lost consciousness.

"I'd rather kill you, but I'm also under orders to stop you from leaving." Sasuke knelt down to unconscious kunoichi, throwing her arm around his shoulder to support her weight as he dragged her back to the medical room.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"She tried to leave, as you predicted, but I sent Sasuke to stop her."

"I still say we kill her and get it over with, or let her leave likes she wants to. She's a nuisance."

Soft, male voices traveled in waves to her ear, Anko's eyes fluttering open for the second time today as she heard men talking. She recognized the first two as Kabuto and Sasuke, and when the third voice chimed in the conversation, heat spiraled throughout her body.

"Anko is valuable to me. She stays."

"Why waste your time with that woman?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Just leave her here and continue with my training."

"Now, now, I won't tell you again. Watch your tone when speaking to Lord Orochimaru."

"Ugh…" Anko groaned, three heads turning to see her awaking. She forced herself to sit up on the comfortable bed she was in, and her irises darted to the men in the room. "What happened…?"

"Leave us." Orochimaru commanded Kabuto and Sasuke, both of them strolling out of the room and shut the door. The Snake Sannin sauntered to where Anko laid in his quarters, after he'd moved her from the medical room when he arrived home. He extended a hand to her face, caressing her cheek softly. "You've been a bad girl. Anko, you should've come to me when you left the Leaf Village."

"I told you I won't live with you," she reminded him. "So let me go."

"I'd rather kill you myself than let you go." Orochimaru admitted harshly, hissing in her ear. Anko gasped at his words, but she relaxed when she realized it his way of telling her that he wanted her to stay with him. "You've nowhere else to go, do you?"

"I'll manage. I can't stay here, I _won't_." she asserted steadily. Why did he had to make this harder for her than it already is?

"You won't survive as a rouge ninja, my dear." His lips claimed hers in a rough kiss, penetrating his tongue in her sweet mouth and let it lead a fiery dance with hers. The snake kunoichi moaned, cupping his face instinctively before he pulled away. "Your best chance of survival is with me. Don't you want to be with me?"

"I do, more anything…" Anko trailed off her sentence, averting her eyes elsewhere to avoid looking in his golden hues.

The Snake Sannin gripped her chin and guided her face back to his. "Then stay."

The silence stretched between them as Anko perused on his offer once more. She wanted to stay with him, she really did. However, was she prepared to live with him under his dark cruelty and endless destruction? Would her love weigh more than her hatred and doubts for him? Did he genuinely mean what he said when he loved her? There was only one way to find out.

She breathed out a deep sigh as she demanded softly, "Then I want a promise from you, and I want you to mean it. Promise that you won't let me do anything I don't want to do, that you will never use me and toss me aside. And I want you to give me a reason to believe you when…when you said you loved me."

The Sannin's mouth curved into an amused smile. "You give me orders, girl?"

Anko nodded her head firmly. "I do."

"Those words I said weren't lies, Anko." He was never the type to take orders from anyone, not even from his sweet girl, but if he would make a promise to her, then there was a promise he wanted to hear from her first.

Their mouths joined in a smoldering kiss, electric liquid rippling through Anko's nerves as heat pooled at her core. Her back hit the mattress, her clothes being ripped off rapidly as she buried her hands into his ebony hair. It didn't take them long to shed the rest of their garbs off into a heap on the floor, both wanting to feel and have each other inside them as quickly as possible. They didn't have to hold back their passion from each other any longer; Anko was now out of the Leaf and was free to enjoy the sensual sensation that was Orochimaru.

She groaned in pleasurable delight when she felt one hand enclosed around her right breast, squeezing the soft mound of flesh. His thumb skated over the pebbled-hard nipple, both those tight, rosy buds on her breasts just aching to be touch like never before. She got her desire granted when she felt a set of lips wrapped her other breast, sharp teeth nipping and suckling gently in a teasing pace. Orochimaru's other hand roamed down to her wet, hot entrance and Anko clenched her legs together when she felt his digits prodding her velvet channel.

His smirking lips left her mouth to lick a tantalizing path all over her skin until his tongue rammed through the petals of her heated silk, tasting her feminine sweetness. Anko writhed beneath him, gasping in airy moans as she gripped the bed sheets so tightly that her knuckles turned stark white.

"Ah… Ahh! Orochimaru… Ahh!" Anko screeched, tossing her head from side to side. He continued to feast on her like sizzling nectar, the tip of his fangs grazing over her tender skin. The snake kunoichi let out a surprised, throaty moan when she felt their bodies melded together, lining perfectly as he thrust into her in a hard tempo. Anko clutched onto him intensely as Orochimaru shifted his hips, her back arching up to take more and more of him inside of her. Her nails scored his back, drawing crimson blood as she cried out at the impending orgasm that shattered within her, an explosion of pure ecstasy rippling through her lithe form.

Golden, amused irises stared down her writhing figure, relishing in the sight of her tightening muscles and taut stomach, the sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead as she begged him not to stop. Anko was trembling as she climaxed again, their hips meeting each other in ferocious strokes. As the last release roared within her body, Anko threw her head back into the pillow and screamed out his name in ecstasy. "Orochimaru!"

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko parted her lips from his later that night, the couple spending the last two hours kissing and caressing each other's bodies, their hands exploring every inch of their heated skin. The sated purple-haired woman ran her fingers through the silky curtain of her lover's hair, twirling the strands idly.

When she recoiled, she sighed in fatigue from their lovemaking. She drew the sheets over her exposed bosom, turning on her side so her back was facing him. The Sannin loomed over her languid figure, coiling one arm around her waist while his other hand brushed away her hair from her ear.

"You must promise me something first," he whispered gently.

Anko peeked over her shoulder to look at him, and her heart soared in joy. He was actually going to make that promise to her, making her stay permanent as long he upholds it. "What is it?"

"I want you to promise me that you'll stay by my side and be mine, no matter what happens or what the consequences may be."

The snake kunoichi twisted around, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead against his. "A willful promise, isn't it?"

The Snake Sannin chuckled lightly, capturing her mouth in a fast, gentle kiss. "Be mine, Anko."

"Mmm…" She burrowed her face in the crook of his neck; her tongue flickered out to give his white skin a small lick and grinned wearily. "To be honest, I think a part of me have always been yours since we first met."

"Good girl…" Orochimaru smirked broadly. "Then I promise to your…conditions."

"Then I'll stay with you, no matter that." She locked her mouth with his, allowing herself to fully be hovered by his impressive body. After a few minutes, she moved her lips away from his by an inch, her brown hues duskier with passion. "I promise to love you forever…"

"You don't need to promise me that, you've kept it ever since you were a child. " He descended his mouth to plant a kiss on her forehead. "And besides, forever is a _very_ long time."

"Not long enough." Anko smiled playfully, their lips joining in a long, ardent caress. With those willful promises spoken, no other words were heard for the rest of the night.

ஜ ~ ஜ

**A/N: **Not exactly my best chapter ever, is it? In any case, there are a couple of things I would like to bring up to my readers. First, I appreciate all the reviews I have gotten thus far, but I will only thank those at the very end of _Morning__Glory_. That was my plan from the beginning since I started writing.

_However_, the lack of reviews is sort of…_discouraging_. I keep getting a bunch of alerts and faves, but my reviews are only up to 34. When I write a fic, I would like it to keep to my standards, as I explained to one of my friends. Normally, a fic would get at least 5 reviews or higher for each chapter, according to one my statistics in my research. With chapter 10 posted, I should at least reach up 50 reviews or more.

A little feedback wouldn't hurt, and people can tell if a fic is good by the amount it has. Having only 34 reviews makes me kinda…disappointed. I know how my friend, Shekiah Rosay, feels. It makes me think why I just keep posting fic one by one, instead of just uploading the whole thing. I mean, before _Morning Glory_ was posted, I wrote over 10 chapters of it. I'm actually almost done writing it; I only have the last chapter left.

My friend, Jigoku-Dayu93, assured me that if I kept getting alerts and faves, then it's okay. But I'm not so sure if that actually means people are reading the fic. How am I supposed to know if people are reading if they don't send a review? I believe the faithful readers are the ones that do review. Jigoku-chan told me because most people are lazy, but I doubt it. Sending out a review only takes, like, 5 seconds. Depending if I reach the standards, I'll update the next chapter faster.

There are a few reasons why I haven't given up on it, despite the lack of positive feedback I am receiving. One: When I start I fic, I don't give up on it, unlike 98% of the OroAnko authors. Two: I have my friends. When I'm feeling down, reading their reviews always cheer me up, gives me the motivation to keep updating at a regular pace. Three: I've already written all the chapters, and I'm seeing it all the way through, like a true author! Believe it~!

Moving on from that subject, I like to let all of you Orochimaru fan girls out there that the English Dubbed new episode for _Naruto: Shippūden_, episode 89, come out yesterday! The episode marks the end of the **Hidan and Kakazu Arc** and the beginning of the **Three-Tails Arc**, which I am happy to announce that Lord Orochimaru and Kabuto appeared throughout it! Kyaa~!

If you're a true Orochimaru fan, you should have by now watched it, and if not, then go do it! And like a true fan, you'll watch the whole arc, even though it's just a filler. I strongly believe that more people should appreciate the filler arcs that the anime gives, since they give viewers more out an inside look at the characters. We're even luck that we get to see characters that aren't even set to appear until their time in the manga.

And speaking of the new episode, guess who was able to have a talk with Guren's voice actress: _ME_. Yep, I contacted Erin Fitzgerald to praise her about her voice for Guren and I ended having a friendly, small chat with her after I watched the episode last night! Of course, I'm not going to dive into details about, unless you're one of my friends. However, I will tell you what Miss Erin said about voicing for Guren:

**Miss Erin Fitzgerald**: Guren is a complex soul with a heavy journey. I loved playing her. LOVED IT!

And to wrap this extremely long author's note up, I would like to help promote publicly to one of Miss Erin's other current works. On July 26, the summer's hottest and horror game called _Catherine_ will be out. I found out about the game when visiting **Laura Bailey**'s website, who all _Naruto_ fans knows to be Anko Mitarashi's voice actress for the Land of the Sea Arc and onwards.

_Catherine _will be featuring many voices we know from _Naruto_, such as **Tory Baker **as the main character **Vincent Brooks**, who voices **Captain Yamato**; **Laura Bailey **as the title character **Catherine**, who voices **Anko Mitarashi** and many other characters in _Naruto_; **Michelle Ruff** as **Katherine** **McBride**, who voices for **Orochimaru's female body**, **Sasame Fūma**, and **Matsuri**; **Liam O'Brien** as **Orlando Haddick**, who voices for **Gaara** and **Kotetsu Hagane**; **Travis Willingham** as **Jonathan "Jonny" Ariga**, who voices **Zetsu **and** Jūgo**; **Yuri Lowenthal** as **Tobias "Toby" Nebbins**, who voices for **Sasuke Uchiha **and additional voices in _Naruto_; **Erin Fitzgerald** as **Erica Anderson** and **Trisha**, who voices **Guren**; and **Jamieson Price** as **Voice**, who voices for the **First Hokage**.


	11. Mortality

"You let off a lot of heat," Anko grumbled, throwing the white covers off her body. She stretched her sore arms, popping the muscles back into place after she spent hours figuring out many creative ways to make love with her former sensei. The single candle that illuminated the room flickered, her silhouette dancing artistically across the room as Orochimaru gazed at her with an amused smirk and molten gold hues.

It has been at least three weeks since she finally gave in to the Snake Sannin's demand to stay and live by his side, severing her ties with the Leaf Village, who were still searching for her whereabouts. Anko dreaded spending time in the underground hideouts that she has to jump from with Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Sasuke every week, but she felt happy being with her ex-mentor again. With nothing better to do, she spent most of her time training alongside Sasuke, who was now her sparring partner.

She and the Uchiha boy still didn't get along well, especially since she was able to easily defeat him in their first spar together when Orochimaru forbid him to use the Curse Mark. Sasuke, with his interior and superiority complex, didn't take the defeat well and became more determined to beat her. He was improving with the experience she offered, but he hasn't been able to beat her just yet. They didn't speak to each other when they rest, and Anko didn't mind that in the least.

She found the boy's aloofness annoying; he was too arrogant and more difficult to deal with than Orochimaru. And in turn, Sasuke blamed her for delaying his training with Orochimaru. He knew of her current relationship with the Snake Sannin; it wasn't hard to hear the sounds she make at night emanating from the bedroom she shares with his mentor. Voices do carry, after all. The only reason why he tolerates her because she was his sparring partner.

She'd much rather spar with Kabuto, but he would just feigned politeness and refused, claiming he was too busy carrying out orders for his lord. The other subordinates in Sound were pretty much pathetic, not that she was surprised. They were just a bunch of cowards and blowhards, too overconfident for being under the service of the great White Snake, one of the Legendary Three Sannin, Orochimaru.

Letting out a yawn, Anko stepped off the bed, picking up the discarded mahogany shirt with a snake pattern running up the back and to the sides of the sleeves—which belonged to Orochimaru. She slipped it on her nude body swiftly before embarrassment rose up inside her from having the Sannin run his hungry eyes up and down her exposed form. They were lovers now, but Anko was uncomfortable being naked in front of anyone.

She stalked forward to where his desk was, her hips swaying enticingly as she raked a hand through her tousled violet hair. She stopped and poured herself a glass of water from the jug that was sitting on the desk. She gulped it down, letting the cool liquid slide seductively down her throat. That pretty little neck of hers was marred with love bites and red marks from being ravished by her greedy lover, and her gorgeous lips were swollen from when he clamped his teeth down to suck on her lips to draw blood.

"You don't keep a lot of personal things in here, do you?" Anko inquired, her brown optics scanning the large room. She was generally surprised to see the Sannin's room wasn't as luxurious as she'd originally believed. It was quite simple with the king-size bed with a huge, bloated pillow and whites sheets, the desk and shelves occupied with scrolls and books, a wardrobe for his clothes, and a nightstand by the bed.

There was one thing she did recognized from Orochimaru's time in the village. On the nightstand was a glass case that displayed the skin of a white snake—a good luck charm of his that Anko had asked about when she was his student. It must have been precious to him, she thought, for keeping it after he defected from the village.

Placing the glass of water down, she strolled over towards the case. Repeating her actions from when she first saw it, she grabbed it with two hands and she stared it curiously, shaking it a little so the skin would move.

"I never had things of true value to me," the pale-skinned man replied with a lazy smirk, watching his sweet girl inspecting the case like she did so long ago. "But everything in this room still belongs to me, including you."

Anko set the glass case down and gave him a coquettish smile in return. She gripped the bottom of his shirt with her hands and yanked it over her head, letting it fall back on the floor along with their other clothes. While her voluptuous breasts jiggled, she climbed back under the covers and straddled his body with her thighs, pushing against him until her heated core felt the rigid of his erection.

She kissed him then, slow and sensual, their mouths melding together and their arms encircled around each other. Anko grinned when she felt Orochimaru's hands rammed her roughly to him. The snake kunoichi moaned against his mouth, linking her ankles together behind his back to pull him deeper into her.

Orochimaru brought her to a shuddering climax when he pressed himself inside her moist cleft. Her nails scratching his back, making crescents to match the beautiful patterns he'd received earlier. He flipped them over to hover over her, leaving her mouth to ravage her sensitive throat, every lick and bite hungrier and animalistic than the last. Anko entwined her fingers in his ebony hair; sighing and gasping in pleasure as she grinded her hips against his maddeningly. He buried himself inside of her, relishing how she cried out at another shattering release.

Catching his breath, the pale-skinned man jerked out of her to gazed down at his dear girl with a playful, malice light in his amber irises. He kissed her, lips joining for another erotic torture as their tongues clashed inside their mouths for control.

The Snake Sannin abandoned her mouth to ravish her neck once more, planting gentle kisses among the bruised spots on her neck as he said in a husky tone. "You've adjusted well here."

The purple-haired woman shrugged her shoulders lightly; closing her eyelids to enjoy the pleasure he was giving her. "I guess. You're surprisingly calm, though. Aren't you worried that the Leaf will be searching for you even more since I left?"

"We're leaving for the next hideout tomorrow." Orochimaru moved from her throat to switch their positions around, coiling her waist with his arms. Anko exhaled a tired sigh, snuggling her face into his hard, lean chest. He played with her violet tresses, smoothing away her bangs from her forehead. "No need to worry. The Leaf won't find us, Anko."

A feeling of nostalgia tightened in her heart as she wondered how her friends were taking the news of her departure of the Leaf. Anko shook her head against her lover's bare torso, pushing away the images of their sad and horrified faces from her mind.

She knew Kurenai was crying in despair, since the genjutsu specialist was always the type to take betrayal badly from anyone; Asuma would be at her side, whispering soothing words to comfort her; Guy was probably trying to cheer her up with boastful words, but there were in vain; Kakashi was sulking in his own way, reflecting how Orochimaru snared Anko into his trap like he did with Sasuke; Ibiki and Genma was likely the most furious at her the most_, but also depressed and worried by her defection of the Leaf Village; and Anko knew Tsunade was in a fit of rage, __ordering__ out squads to go and find Anko quickly._

Orochimaru stared down at his woman, a frown of dissatisfaction crossing his features. He wrapped his arms tighter around her to ease her musings away. She welcomed it, burrowing her body further into his strong warmth.

"Go to sleep, my dear."

She complied without a word, succumbing into a blissful slumber as her thoughts painful washed away, edging to return another time when they would become a reality.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Back in the peaceful Leaf Village on the same night, Asuma entered the Jōnin Standby Station with a long exhalation of air, flopping down on the long red sofa next to Kakashi. The room was empty, which gave them the privacy they wanted to talk.

"How is she?" Kakashi asked with a sorrowful look in his visible eye.

"I finally managed to get Kurenai to go to sleep. She's been bawling her eyes out since Anko left the village," he answered with distress etched on his face. "I wish I could do more for her."

"You're doing the best you can, and that's enough." The Copy Ninja clapped an assuring hand on the other Jōnin's shoulder. "Kurenai needs you very much right now, so just be by her side."

"How do you think Anko is doing?" Asuma quizzed, voicing out the question almost reluctantly. "You think she's all right?"

"Anko's tough, she can take care of herself."

"You don't actually think she's with Orochimaru right now, do you?"

Kakashi didn't answer as a grim silence swamped them. He contemplated on the possibilities she was with her former mentor at this moment. Anko could be with that _wretched snake_ as his prisoner, being tortured by Orochimaru. There was the chance that she might be dead, but everyone knew how valiant Anko was; she was too stubborn die and she wouldn't go down without a fight. With that in mind, she could be alive and well.

"I…can't say for sure." Kakashi responded at last, his tone laced with concern.

"Hey, guys."

The two male Jōnin pivoted their heads to the source of the voice, their optics falling on Genma walking in the room with his hands in his pockets. They both inclined their heads to the Special Jōnin, acknowledging his arrival.

"I just spoke with Shizune. There's still no clue where Anko is right now, just to give you a heads-up." Genma announced sadly, his toothpick flickering up and down in his mouth. Swiveling his head, he turned to look the solemn Asuma. "How's Kurenai?"

The son of the Third Hokage shook his head. "Not so good. She's hurting."

"I see…" Genma hung his head down gravely in understanding. Everyone has been depressed and worried since Anko left the village. Kurenai was Anko's best friend, so it was only natural for her to feel the most heartbroken. "Well, I'm off. I have to tell Ibiki and the others since they might want to know."

"All right, later." Kakashi waved after the brown-haired Special Jōnin as he left.

"What do you think is going to happen when Anko does show up?" Asuma inquired.

"Probably be interrogated by Ibiki and then thrown in a cell until Lady Tsunade figures out what to do with her. The Leaf Council would probably want to kill her, and the whole Leaf Village too. Anko knows what the citizens of the Leaf thinks about her because of her connection with Orochimaru. She works hard to fix that problem, trying to kill Orochimaru as her way of owing the Leaf."

"You'd think she'll be over Orochimaru after all these years, but her feelings never changed a bit," the dark-haired Jōnin remarked. "I never imagine the damage would be this bad."

"To see what it is not there, gaze upon what is," the Sharingan warrior replied wisely. "Anko tries her best to hide her sadness, but we were fools for not noticing the extent of her pain really was. She's been broken for a long, long time."

"Maybe someone can pick up the pieces for her," Asuma suggested in a sly tone, casting a mild look at Kakashi. "You and Anko would make a good pair."

"Me and Anko?" The Copy Ninja repeated in disbelief, pointing a finger at himself.

The other man nodded. "Yeah, I can tell you must have feelings towards her, even it's a little bit. You see Sasuke in her, and you understand her pain. You have feelings for Anko, just admit it."

"You're imagining things." Kakashi retorted, waving his idly in the air like he was brushing aside his friend's insinuation.

"To see what is not there, gaze upon what is, right?" Asuma quoted, flashing his buddy a friendly smile before standing up. "Just think about it, all right? I'll see you later, Kakashi."

"Yeah, later." Kakashi watched his friend go, perusing on what Asuma said about him and Anko getting together. Sure, they shared a few moments together—though they were mostly arguments—and Anko was very attractive. He felt connected to her because of Sasuke and they shared the same pain as loss. But that doesn't necessarily mean he has feelings for the ill-tempered, energetic, charming, crazy snake lady, right? Hmmm… Maybe he'll think about it more, at another time.

Sprinting up from his seat, the silver-haired Jōnin trotted back to his apartment, pondering how both Sasuke and Anko was doing right now.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko set off to the new hideout in the Village Hidden in Hot Water with her three male companions the next morning. The village over there was a former ninja village that is now best known for tourism, so Anko understood why Orochimaru chose a peaceful location like this for a hideout. It's one of the places where anyone would think he would go to.

Plus, since the village was no longer a ninja village, they have no records of rouge shinobi listed in the Bingo Book, which meant they were free to come and go as they please. However, it was better to be safe than sorry, so they weren't just going to check in an inn. They continued to the hideout, much to Anko's inward dismay, who was looking forward to bathing in a hot spring. It reminded her of the time when Kurenai dragged her to the Hot Springs District in the Leaf during one of her many attempts to transform Anko into more of a…woman.

However, she knew the Village Hidden in Hot Water have hot springs around the village's terrain and she rejoiced. While they arrived at the hideout, Orochimaru and Kabuto headed towards the basements to work on their experiments—a place where Anko stayed away from in every hideout. She shivered at the thoughts of cages and tanks and other gruesome things that were in the basements, so she trained with Sasuke for most of the day to keep herself busy. Afterwards, she journeyed elsewhere, leaving the Snake Sannin's future vessel to himself.

"Sasuke, where is Anko?" Kabuto asked the dark-haired youth. He was eating lunch on a rock after sparring with the snake kunoichi for at least three hours. He was munching down of his favorite food: a rice ball with smoked skipjack tuna and tomatoes.

Sasuke gave the medic an uncaring glare. "I don't know."

"Go find her." Kabuto ordered, adjusting his glasses up his nose. "It's time for another medical examination."

The Uchiha huffed in annoyance, but stood up from his seat to go find her. "Fine."

"Send her to me when you do." The Sound ninja pivoted around and headed back inside the hideout. Sasuke narrowed his irises at silver-haired shinobi's retreating back, not liking the fact he has to waste his time finding where Anko wandered off to. Sasuke swiveled his heel and headed off in the direction to where one of the hot springs were located, deciding to wash himself from the sweat clinging on his frame before going to search for the purple-haired woman.

Shrugging his white shirt off his shoulders, he settled it down on a large stone when he reached the hot spring that was bordered up with large rocks. His purple obi came off next, followed by the blue cloth that was wrapped on his waist and his Snake Sword. The rays from the sun made the sheen of sweat on his masculine chest glistened, a sight that some of his fan girls back in the Leaf would squeal and gawk at it. He was about to remove his pants as well and step into the steaming water, but his onyx eyes fell on something breathtaking that made him stop.

In a corner of the hot spring, Anko sat in the hot water as she hummed to herself. Her violet hair was free of its usual ponytail, her fingers combing through the wet strands to clean all of the dirt from it. Her knees were popped up from the water, revealing her long, slender legs dripping with droplets.

Despite the series of bites and other markings she got from her Orochimaru last night, the Uchiha boy could tell just how salacious her figure truly was. She was _lovely_. Sasuke observed her, taking in the scene of the nude woman bathing in the hot spring.

Too engrossed in her pleasurable bath, Anko didn't notice his presence. She stood up as water sluiced down her taut and beautiful body, and Sasuke saw a few bite marks on her breasts and some on her inner thighs. After a few minutes passed, Anko turned her head to the side and gasped in shock when her eyes landed on Sasuke.

"What're you doing?" she yelled as her cheeks flushed bright red, her hands darting to cover her exposed chest.

The Uchiha quickly pivoted his back to her and dashed away from the hot spring. He waited impatiently for her to return by the hideout, although he was surprised to find her marching back with suggestive black bra and underwear on. As she came closer, he saw that she was carrying her clothes in one hand and the other have his discarded garbs he left behind.

"Here." She shoved his clothes and sword back to him, crossing her arms under her ample bosom. "What were you doing?"

"Kabuto wants to see you, I was told to come fetch you." Sasuke explained in his usual stoic tone, averting his eyes from her cleavage.

"You could've said something instead of standing there." Anko told him, eyeing him warily.

He scoffed icily. "I didn't see anything, if that's what you're worried about."

"You're a bad liar," the snake kunoichi stated, earning a glare in return. "Whatever. Just forget it, all right?"

"Fine."

"Good."

Sasuke watched her as she turned and headed inside the hideout, unable to take his eyes off her. He wasn't normally interested in women, but the image of her naked in the hot spring was something he couldn't get out of his mind.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"I heard yelling outside. What happened?" Kabuto inquired, healing Anko's body of her lacerations with his Mystic Palm Jutsu—not that it really mattered. She was just going to receive more love bites and other 'injuries' from Orochimaru later on, but orders were orders.

"Nothing." Anko answered with faint shrug of her shoulders. Kabuto studied her for a minute before swiveling to the monitor where the clipboard that holds her medical results laid.

"I realize that you and Sasuke have your differences, but since you're living under the same roof, you should at least try and get along," the medic lectured, charting down something on the clipboard and then typed it on the keyboard. "Lord Orochimaru told me you cared for Sasuke to some extent, judging on how you were so insistent on pulling him out of the Chūnin _Exams."_

"Yeah, I remember," she grumbled.

"And a part of you still cares of him, isn't that right?"

"Are we done here?" She was getting irritated of Kabuto's habit of nosing around in her business.

The silver-haired shinobi dismissed her with a nod of his head. "You're free to leave."

"See ya." Anko hopped off from the medical bed she was on and sauntered out the room. She strode down the hallway, still lugging her clothes with her and was still in nothing but her provocative bra and underwear. There was no else in the hideout besides her and the three men she came here with, so she wasn't worried about anyone seeing her.

When she rounded a corner, she stumbled backwards when she collided with someone else. She collected herself and her optics came face-to-face with Sasuke's crimson hues—his Sharingan. He glared at her with a steely expression, his gaze flickering up and down her nearly nude form. His stare was not a sexual one, only merely one of curiosity. Anko's irises drifted down to his right hand, gaping slightly when she saw his knuckles dripping with blood.

"Hey, you okay?" She made an attempt to reach for it, but he swatted her hand away like she some kind of disease.

"Don't touch me," he hissed coldly.

Anko's brows knitted together in anger. "You're unbelievable, you know that? You act so superior and tough, taking down anyone and anything that stands in your way, but you're scared to death that someone might actually care for you. Or even worse, that _you_ might be tempted to care for someone else."

Sasuke narrowed his blood-red eyes dangerously. "You don't know _anything_ about me."

"Does anyone, Sasuke? I know Naruto cares about you, he keeps training tooth and nail for you to bring you home to the Leaf." Her volume was rising with every one as she spoke. "He believes that you still have whatever piece of humanity left inside of you, the part of you that still cares for your friends."

"I've severed my bonds with Leaf, they made me weak."

"Have you really become that emotionless, that cold-hearted?" Anko demanded heatedly.

"I'm not saying it to be cruel, it's a fact."

"No, of course you aren't." Anko scoffed scornfully. "Because even cruelty would imply some kind of emotion, wouldn't it?"

With nothing more to say, Anko threaded back to her bedroom as Sasuke moved past her to see Kabuto for his medical examination. The snake kunoichi couldn't help but thought over her earlier conversation with Kabuto. She knew he was right—about her caring for Sasuke—because anger was just another form of caring. If she didn't care, why get mad in the first place?

It made sense to her now from what transpired a few seconds ago with the dark-haired youth, although she didn't want to admit it. He didn't care about her, so why should she care what happens to him? In her heart, Anko knew the answer to that question.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Sasuke's improving, isn't he?" Orochimaru quizzed her later that night, sitting at his desk in his usual garbs. Anko lay in the bed, adorned in a purple loose-fitting, sleeveless chemise that ended halfway up her thigh to show off her legs. The nightwear was revealing and provocative with the thin straps ran low on her shoulders, and the front being low-cut to show a bit of her cleavage. On the back was a snake pattern, the same design that was on Orochimaru's nightshirt.

Anko grunted, refusing to talk about the Uchiha boy. She knew Kabuto heard the argument between her and Sasuke today, and knew the faithful subordinate would report it to his lord.

"Anko," the Sannin prompted her to get an answer. "Don't ignore me."

"Tired." Rolling on her side on the mattress, she yanked the covers over her head to block him out.

"It isn't best to provoke Sasuke, you know that. He's more difficult than I am." His voice increased as he sat up from his desk to slithered over to the bed. "What were you two fighting about?"

"I'm tired," she mumbled grumpily under the blanket, which was then abruptly pulled off of her.

The pale-skinned man sat down at the edge of the bed, his amber optics glowering down at her in disapproval. "What happened?"

"Nothing." She shifted her body to the other side, pivoting her back to him. She heard a noise that sounded like the ruffling of clothes behind her, and then felt the bed sank down with the added weight of the Sannin's body. She squeaked in surprise when she felt her chemise being forcefully tugged off over her head and thrown on the floor along with rest of her lover's garbs.

"Whatever issues you and Sasuke have with one another, fix them." Orochimaru ordered sternly. Despite snorting in defiance at the command, the violet-haired woman nodded her head reluctantly. She also wanted to work things out with the Uchiha because she cares for him. The Sannin smiled, satisfied at her obedience. "Good girl."

He lowered his mouth down to hers for a hard kiss. She returned it eagerly and passionately, moaning as her arms coiled around his neck. She pressed her body upwards so that her warm flesh met his as they kissed intensely, her tongue tracing the lengths both of his lethal canines. Orochimaru's snakelike tongue dominated hers, and Anko relished at the erotic invasion of her mouth.

She was unable to surpassed her mewl of complaint when he left her lips to ravage her neck with tongue and teeth and fangs. His hands roamed up and down her lascivious frame, halting at her chest to teased her tight little buds on her breasts, hard and peaked up to its fullest. Her body was truly a paradise, one reserved for him and him alone.

Anko gripped the back of his head, drawing him so their lips met in a savage caress once more. When they pulled apart for oxygen, her eyes marveled his seductive figure, and Orochimaru's amber optics blazing with blatantly carnal need for her. He never looked more predatory to her in her entire life, reveling how he acted so differently when they were alone.

As he kissed her once more, he skated one of his palm over the slope of her neck, caressing her tender skin gently and then down her shoulder to rub his thumb over the Curse Mark. It's funny how much she used to detest the thing that destroyed her life, but now she was grateful to it in a way. Without it, she wouldn't be here with Orochimaru.

When the kiss broke, Orochimaru smoothed his lips across her skin slowly, his fangs skimming over her sensitive flesh. Anko gasped in pleasure, her fingers in his ebony hair tightened as his mouth continued to wander downwards.

"Ah!" Anko jolted when she felt his lips against her moist, hot cleft. However, his tongue didn't penetrate her folds like he would usually do, but instead he planted playful kisses there and on her inner thighs. Anko moaned, trembling with pleasure, bracing his head against her cleft. She practically choked for air when she felt his tongue brushing over her core, although he didn't shove it inside of her. He was teasing her, and she reveled in his exquisite torture. "Orochimaru! Oh, Orochimaru!"

He chuckled, the vibrations resonated at her body that made her legs clenched, but the Sannin stopped it by grabbing both legs and hooking them over his shoulders. His tongue delved in her cleft, her arousal intoxicating him as he plundered into her sweetness. Anko moaned louder than before, muttering incoherent words while her lover suckled her like she was aphrodisiac of the finest quality.

While he feasted from her, Orochimaru looked up to see how tightly screwed her eyes were, her face burning scarlet red with heat and her hair tousled and the tresses splayed all over the pillow. He smirked at her tempting appearance. She was so addicting. _Alluring_. Ah, Anko… She was truly the most perfect woman for him.

Moving away from her cleft, Orochimaru licked his lips as he loomed over her, spreading her legs apart and then thrust into her core. Anko cried out in ecstasy, her rapturous scream echoing in their room. Her nails were clawing at his skin of his back, drawing blood as a shattering orgasm exploded inside of her.

Sinking his face into the nape of her neck, skating his tongue over before he buried his razor-sharp teeth into her skin to taste her luxurious, spicy-sweet blood. Anko shrieked out again, another release slamming her into a white-hot sensation. She clutched onto the Snake Sannin as the searing, wondrous rush of pleasure/pain coursed within her.

When it passed, Orochimaru backed away and swept his tongue over the puncture wounds to clean the crimson off. He switched their positions, allowing Anko to drop down into his arms.

"I love you…" she whispered breathlessly, curling further into his possessive embrace.

"And I you." He stroked her back soothingly, lulling her into another peaceful sleep in his arms. The candle on his desk blew out, enveloping the lovers in comforting darkness.

ஜ ~ ஜ

The next morning as they got dressed, there was a knock on the door. Anko sat on the bed as she put on her ninja sandals, looking the entrance to the room.

"Lord Orochimaru?" called a quiet, smooth voice. Kabuto.

The pale-skinned man motioned to the door when he was fully dressed and opened it. "What is it?"

"Sasuke's fallen ill," he reported, witnessing the anger crossing his master's face. "He collapsed during training this morning from getting a wound on his hand infected when he didn't allow me to treat it. He's running a fever."

"How long will it take him to recover?"

"With proper treatment, a week at the very best." Kabuto replied. "I need to fetch more medicine in the village, so would Lady Anko watch over Sasuke for me while I'm gone? He refuses to stay in his bed."

"I'll do it." Anko agreed with a sign, clambering from the bed

"All right, then. If you'll excuse me…" The silver-haired medic bowed and departed from their sights.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"…ke… Sasuke…"

He was floating in a sea of darkness, a familiar melodious voice calling softly to him. When his heavy eyelids lifted open, Sasuke saw a vision of a woman hanging over his bedside. "Mother…?"

"Hmph… Not even close." Anko's lips curved into a small smile as she pressed a wet towel to his burning forehead, the Uchiha's pale face now bright red from the fever.

Realizing what she was doing, he immediately smacked Anko's hand away, like her touch was physically painful to him. The Uchiha jolted up in his bed unsteadily, his head banging like a drum and his body feeling like it was on fire.

"Lie back down, Uchiha," Anko told him, pushing him back on the bed carefully. "You're running a fever and unless you want stall your training any further, then I suggest you rest."

Sasuke made a sound of irritation, but eased back down on the bed. "What do you want?"

"I'm your babysitter for today," she responded simply, leaning back in the wooden chair by his bedside. "Orochimaru's working and Kabuto's out getting more medicine for your fever. Kabuto healed the wound on your hand, but you still have a fever for letting festered yesterday. With proper care, you should be back on your feet in no time."

"Hmph." There was a short paused before Sasuke asked, "Why are you here?"

"Looking after your stubborn butt." Anko replied in a snippy tone. "I told you that."

The young black-haired boy shook his head mildly. "No, why are you _here_, with Orochimaru?"

Silence stretched between them for several seconds, and Sasuke saw heat flooded to Anko's cheeks. "I think you know why I'm here."

"I know you left the Leaf because you were seeing Orochimaru behind their backs, but that doesn't explain why you're living with someone you said you hated," he clarified. "I know about your past, Kabuto told me about it. Aren't you worried that he might cast you aside?"

"What about you?" she countered. "Aren't you scared that when you're finally trained well enough that Orochimaru is going take control over your body?"

"I have but one goal in life, and that is to obtain power to kill my brother," Sasuke answered with dark hatred spiraling in his black hues. "I will do anything for that one purpose, even if it means being consumed by evil."

"No one is going to change your mind, huh?" Anko took the towel off his forehead to dip in the bowl of cool water by her feet. She crushed the water out, and then placed it back on the Uchiha's temple. "As for me… I know what Orochimaru does, but that doesn't change the fact I have feelings for him. I know of the chances of him getting tired of me sooner or later, but if he wants me right now, I want to take that opportunity and enjoy it. So, even if he wants me only a little, then it'd be worth. Life is too short, but I want to happy for as long as I can. In that way, at the very least, I won't have to live with any regrets when I die."

"You really love him that much?" Sasuke inquired in a curious tone. "Don't you have doubts if he will be betray you again?"

"I have my doubts, but I told myself that's okay," the snake kunoichi admitted genuinely, wrapping her arms around herself like she was cold. "If anyone was to blame for that, then it's me, right? So, it's okay if he does because I knew that he would and I'll be prepare for it."

"But it still hurts, doesn't it?" There was stillness in the air once more when Sasuke popped up that query, and Anko hang her head down in silent agreement. It was then he felt a different sort of emotion and respect towards Anko. She was good and pure in so many ways. She was strong in her thoughts of mortality, and her mute answer stunned him.

_She_ fascinated _him_.

A few minutes passed until the young Uchiha turned his body to his side so his back was facing her. In a low voice, he acknowledged, "You're stronger than I'd expected."

That took the violet-haired woman by surprised, her head bolting up to stare at his back in astonishment by his praising words. Anko smiled at him, reaching her hand to stroke his hair soothingly.

Confused by her actions, the puzzled Uchiha swiveled his head at her. "What are you doing?"

"When I was little, my mother would pet my head like this when I was sick or have nightmares, until I fall asleep." Her tone was tender, and her hand that was still caressing his head carried warmth that felt…_foreign_ to him. "Just allow someone to take of you for once, Uchiha."

Sasuke didn't answer her, but he didn't pull away from her sweet touch either. Instead, he just allowed himself to drift off into a dreamless slumber for the rest of the day.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Hey." Anko greeted him the next day, not entirely surprise that he was back on his feet and burning energy on his training. Kabuto gave him a very potent medicine that cured him of his fever last night and after a good rest, the Uchiha reverted back to cold and aloof self.

Sasuke halted his workout as the kunoichi approached, his clothes coated with sweat and dirt. His usual stoic expression was plastered on his face, but he inclined his head at her in a greeting.

"You up for a spar, Uchiha?" She flashed him a daring look, her lips curling into a feral grin.

"Sasuke," he said back, ignoring her request.

She titled her head to the side in bewilderment. "Huh?"

He twisted around, his back facing her once more. "Just call me Sasuke, Mitarashi."

The purple-haired spitfire nodded her head in understanding, smiling inwardly as she and Sasuke finally come to terms with each other. She'd sense something different about him; his aura was slightly calmer and less cold towards her. "Fine, then you call me Anko."

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder to gaze at her for a few seconds before he bobbled his head in response. Moving on to their training, he brandished his Snake Sword from his sheath and directed it towards her mercilessly. Anko grinned at the danger that radiated off him, poising to strike as they began.

"Well, they seem to be getting along." Kabuto commented from the entrance of the hideout, his lord by his side as he leaned against the frame. "It's a good thing, too. We need Sasuke and Anko to cooperate with one another if she's going to stay here. With them not at each other's throats, this way we can have Sasuke keep an eye on her if she ever decides to leave. What do you think happened between them, my lord?"

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Orochimaru backed off the wall and pivoted to head back in the basements with Kabuto trailing behind him. "Just as long as Anko and Sasuke stay with me."

"Of course," the silver-haired medic responded, and followed his master inside the base.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Have you regretted anything yet?"

Anko darted her head in the direction of source of the voice, smirking slightly as the pale-skinned man sat down next to her. She was resting under the shade of the tree with her back against the tree trunk when she was finished with her sparring with Sasuke, who went to his room to meditate.

"Still testing my decision to stay with you, aren't you?" Anko questioned, the expression on her face was bittersweet. "I don't regret being here with you."

"Are you happy?"

"I am, a lot more now since me and Sasuke are getting along know." Her reply came quickly without a tremor of uncertainty laced in her words, only pliant acceptance since she now completely surrendered herself to her former sensei.

"That's good." His golden irises read her face, noting the new sereneness on her features. Even so, he could tell she still missed and cared for her friends, who she constantly thought of her every single day since coming here. "I won't make you feel like you've lost anything, I'll make sure you're happy."

She didn't respond to his proclamation, but instead inched closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. Memories from yesterday raced through Anko's mind as the warm, crisp air fanned her face gently. It wasn't a lie—about what she said to Sasuke. Her most fondest, heartfelt wish was to live beside the one person she loves, despite the heartbreak it will cost her later. Life was too short and cruel, and knowing that made her want to live her life in the way that she wouldn't have die without any remorse.

With that in mind, the lovers remained under that tree for the rest of the day.

.

ஜ ~ ஜ

**A/N: **Just to point something else to the ones who notice I put in a purple chemise in the story, like the one in _Dark Possession_ by Lalexx, I just want to say that I did _**not**_ copy that idea from her. Actually, I was the one that gave Skye (she changed her username from iSkye to Lalexx, but I still like to call her Skye) the idea of using the chemise in _Dark Possession_ by showing an image of a purple chemise and told of the snake pattern on the back.

The chemise was originally intended for _Morning Glory_, but at the time I wasn't ready to work on it and since I had some much fun throwing around ideas with Skye, so I told her about the chemise and the design pattern for it. She liked it and wanted to use in _Dark Possession_. Just pointing that out. And for those who don't believe, I have evidence. I took a picture of the conversation just in case someone accused me of lying. If you guys want proof, I can e-mail you a picture of it.

In other news, _Naruto: Shippūden _episode 92 came out yesterday! And just like before when episode 89 was out on July 14 and I mentioned it the next day on July 15, I recommend all of Orochimaru fans to go and watch it! Even though it was just a filler episode, it contains a scene from the manga when Sasuke took on those Sound ninja as a test from Orochimaru and the talk about if Sasuke doesn't become truly heartless, he won't be able to defeat Itachi when the time comes.

Plus, it was the same episode that helped me developed this chapter. In the episode, Kabuto and Yūkimaru came to rest at the Land of Hot Water that was home to the former ninja village, Village Hidden in Hot Water, or better known as Yugakure, which is home to former Akatsuki member, Hidan. I wanted a place where there were hot springs, so I chose the Land of Hot Water as the location for the chapter.

Oh, and I like to announce to everyone that since today is August 5, it's my grandfather's birthday today! Happy 67th Birthday, Grandpa!


	12. Doubts Of Love I

Anko was perplexed when she heard that they were going back to the Sound Village the next morning. She leaped through the trees nearby Sasuke, watching Orochimaru and Kabuto talking privately in front of them. The snake kunoichi found it strange they would suddenly going back to Sound after just arriving in the Land of Hot Water. The Sound Village may have many hideouts scattered across its land, but they won't be able to hide from the Leaf for long by jumping back and forth in the Land of Rice Paddies. The land best known to be Orochimaru's main base of operations, therefore the Leaf would hunt through it like a pack of wolves would do to their chosen prey of food.

The Snake Sannin knew this, so why was he and Kabuto urgent to get back? Although she didn't ask, the idea of returning to the Sound was certainly suspicious. As a child while under her sensei's tutelage, Anko learned never to ask questions behind Orochimaru's motives. She was only ordered to obey, and she'd complied. However, she was not the some naïve and innocent little girl she was back then who would simply nod and follow her sensei blindly. In spite of that, Anko kept her inklings to herself, knowing she would find out sooner or later.

They stopped to rest by a riverbank after a few hours of traveling. Anko soaked her fatigued feet in the cold water with Sasuke next to her, staring at the glistening stream with bored eyes. Orochimaru and Kabuto were leaning their backs against a large stone, discussing what they've been talking about since morning.

"You know, it's too bad we can't go the Village Hidden in the Waterfall," Anko stated out of nowhere, more to herself than to the stoic boy beside her. "I've always wanted to see the huge waterfall that hides the village at dusk."

The Uchiha turned to look at her nonchalantly. "What's so important about that?"

"At sunset, when the light strikes the water, it glistens red. The place is supposed to be the most romantic spot at the Waterfall Village," the violet-haired woman replied with nostalgia. "They say the color red is a reflection of all of the lovers' hearts that kissed there. Kurenai told me about once. She even said some people conceive a child under those cascading falls."

Sasuke hummed at the information, gazing at her for a moment before he stood up. There was a heated gleam in her brown orbs, and she didn't have to say it out loud for the Uchiha to understand whom she wanted to go with to the waterfall with. Under all the roughness, she really was a normal woman, after all.

"We're going." Orochimaru commanded to his two students. Surging to her feet, Anko and the others continued on their way to the Hidden Sound Village.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"I'm requesting to go search for Anko Mitarashi and to investigate the Sound Village with Kakashi Hatake." Kurenai stood in the center of the Hokage's office with the famous Copy Ninja by her side, and her crimson eyes fixed on the blond woman in the chair. After she spent weeks crying out her grief, she decided it was time she took action in order to bring her best friend back home.

Tsunade studied the pair with stern optics, contemplating whether or not she would allow to go look for the violet-haired woman. She understood Kurenai's reason for wanting to go, and she guessed that Kakashi was tagged along with her to help knock some sense into Anko. The Fifth Hokage was having a sense of déjà vu as she stared at the two shinobi in front of her.

Not too long ago, after Sasuke's defection from the Leaf Village, Jiraiya requested to investigate the Village Hidden in the Sound with Naruto and Sakura Haruno. The Toad Sage made it clear that those two would go and search for Sasuke with or without her permission. With little to no choice, Tsunade allowed him and the two Genin to go on an official reconnaissance mission. Remembering that, the Slug Princess knew that no matter how dutifully Kurenai or Kakashi was, they would probably go out and to the same thing Naruto and Sakura did,

And with little to no choice once more, Tsunade bobbled her head in acceptance with a reluctant sigh. "I will allow you to go and search for Anko, but on one condition: Don't let your friendship with her prevent you from doing your job as shinobi. I know you want to bring her back, but if the situation calls for it, you are to use force to drag her back here."

Kurenai and Kakashi understood the order perfectly. Anko was never the type to come along quietly on anything if she already made up her mind on it. If she was with her deranged mentor willingly, she wasn't going to go down with a fight. "Yes, milady."

"Good. There's a good chance that Anko is with Orochimaru. Be on your guard."

"Yes, ma'am. We won't fail you." Kurenai promised with fierce determination. She would not give up until Anko is back home, and despite knowing what will await the snake kunoichi when is back in the Leaf, Kurenai vowed to do everything and anything in her power to protect her.

"Before you go," the Hokage announced, gesturing her head at Shizune. The black-haired medical ninja came forward, presenting a syringe filled with a yellow substance to the pair. "I want you two to take this with you. Use when it when you have the chance."

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko huffed in frustration that night in bed, her naked form under the covers. She was on her side, her irises gazing at the door to the bedroom. She couldn't sleep without Orochimaru by her side, a fact she'd grown slightly irritated with since she'd joined him. She didn't want to depend on him for every little thing. She desired to have him here with her instead down in the basements working with his right-hand man.

It was around eleven o'clock at night, and her body was exhausted from the day's tedious trek to the Sound. She had half a mind to go look for him, but she was too tired and the Snake Sannin didn't want her wandering the base without supervision. Anko knew he wanted to keep her on a tight leash, and she was annoyed that he still didn't trust her enough to go off exploring around the hideout on her own. Not like she was one to talk, though. A part of her still didn't trust him, in spite of how much she did love him.

Sitting up in the bed, the snake kunoichi reached her hand down to her backpack on the floor to pull out her Leaf headband. She kept it after she left the village, but never wore it since. She smiled sadly as she ran her palm over the cold metal plate, tracing the Leaf insignia craved into it. She missed her friends and she pondered on how they were doing. It was wrong for Anko to think of them, because she'd lost the right worry about them any longer. She gave up her friends and home for someone who was cold and cruel.

However, he wasn't like that to her. No, never like that. He was different with her, gentle and patient. All of the bitterness and fury she held for him for years seemed to have evaporated little by little from the moment he first touched her. He was cruel, but he was also kind. So far, he hadn't shown any sort of cruelty to her and he didn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do. He may be ruthless to others, but as long as he treated her tenderly, then she could survive living with him.

"You're not asleep yet." His voice jolted Anko out her thoughts. Her hand instinctively jammed the Leaf headband quickly into her backpack when his back was turned to shut their bedroom door.

Pretending to act natural, she gave him a sarcastic smile as he sauntered towards the bed. "Masterful observation."

He gave her a light smirk in return, stripping off his clothes as she stared with lust-glazed irises. The minute he slipped in the bed with her, the Sannin claimed her mouth in a deep kiss. They broke apart for air and eased back on the bed together, their limbs tangled around each other. Anko exhaled a long breath, snuggling deeper into his embrace as she settled her face in his chest for comfort, the sadness she felt earlier was now gone and was replaced by his soothing warmth..

"You've been acting strange all day," she remarked, her eyelids closed as she savored the sensation of his hand stroking her back leisurely. "What's wrong?"

"Just business, you'll find out soon enough." Orochimaru responded, tightening his grip around his dear girl. There a pause between them before he inquired in a displeased tone, "What were you doing before I came in, my dear?"

Anko shook a little at his query when realization dawned on her. So he did see her when she was looking at her Leaf headband when he came in. The Snake Sannin loathed the fact that she was still attached to the Leaf, which prevents him having Anko all to himself. She buried her face in his chest, mumbling something that sounded like a reluctant apology.

"I'm greedy, Anko, you know that," he hissed softly in her ear. "You realize I want you for myself, don't you? I want you to desire me and only me."

"I still can't help but think about my friends. They're going to find me sooner or later and take me back to the Leaf," she murmured quietly.

He frowned profoundly at this. "No, they won't. You're mine. Forget about the Leaf."

"They took care of me when you weren't there. I can't forget them for the life they afforded me." Anko withdrew from his arms and pivoted her backside was to him. Looking at him right now was too painful, all of her awful memories from the Land of the Sea flashed back inside her mind. She couldn't hold back the sobs that made her body trembled, and the one tear she allowed to stream down her cheek. "I owe it to them."

A hand touched her shoulder. "Anko."

Wiping away that single tear, Anko took in a deep breath to calm her sobs down before turning over to look at her lover. They stared in each other's eyes for a long moment, peering profoundly to read the emotions behind those pools of caramel and amber. The eyes, they say, are the windows to the soul and were the most expressive part of a human.

Seconds passed until the snake kunoichi broke the silence, sorrow imbued within her voice. "You say you don't play games, but I know you're a master at it. You played me as a child, who's to say you're not playing me again? I love you so much, but you've been playing for so long I can't tell whether this is real or not."

Reaching to caress her cheek gently, he assuaged the rest of her doubts with a searing kiss, clasping his arms around her body to slam her to him in a fierce embrace. There were no needs for words between them, only actions, because—as the old saying goes—actions always speak louder than words. She braced her hands on his back, kissing him harder than ever before.

His tongue penetrated past her lips, reveling the tender insides of her hot mouth. She tasted sweet and lush, her softness pressing against his hardness as their naked figures melding together into one whole. Orochimaru crushed her beneath him, rocking his hips against hers and then thrust into her cleft in a long, hard stroke. Anko arched her back to meet him, heaving up with her elbows planted on the mattress of the bed. She mewled and moaned in rapture, her tight core gripping his like wet, hot fist. She met his every thrust, and she screamed at every orgasm that roared up within her and exploded.

She felt his want; his hungry desire for her, and that overcame her doubts and worries of abandonment. He was intense and dark man, frustrated complicated and cruel, but he was also so much than she could ever imagine. She loved him, without a doubt, and she believed him when he said that he returned her feelings. And yet, there was always be this piece of her that would question that love, wondering if someone who was the incarnate of a demon was even capable of love.

The fragment of her doubt washed away when she cried out when she climaxed again, her nails scoring his back as she clung to him for dear life. She found shattering release again and again for what felt like hours, the Snake Sannin pumping in and out of her in a relentless rhythm.

When they were done, Anko snuggled to him closely as he wrapped his arms around her slender waist tightly, lulling her to blissful slumber. There was nothing more to be said or done for the rest of the night.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko moaned against his lips, kissing him deeply as she could, her legs coiled tightly around his waist as he hovered above her. Her hips pushed up against his erection, his hands caressing her soft form as he devouring mouth moved to ravish her pretty throat. It was early morning and they were already so absorbed in themselves to care for anything else at the moment. All senses were blocked out to the point they didn't hear the door open or see the silver-haired shinobi walking in, staring at the scene awkwardly.

"Lord Orochimaru?"

At the sound of his voice, they both tore apart, Anko covering up her nude body with the sheets bashfully while angry golden optics glared at the intruder in their bedroom when they were sharing an intimate moment.

"You should have knocked, Kabuto."

"I did, my lord, twice." The medic glanced to the violet-haired woman in the bed, flashing her an amused half-smile. "Good morning, Lady Anko."

The kunoichi scowled at him in response. "Get out."

Ignoring the furious woman that was now burying herself under the covers, Kabuto turned back to his master. "I have investigated the rumors going around the Land of Rice Paddies, the one about the so-called rebellion and the one who was leading it. His identity is still currently unknown, but according to the rumors that I heard, this man visits Fūma Alley every night."

"Where?" he inquired.

"I have the location. Lady Anko and I could go now and investigate."

Anko, who was listening to the conversation, popped her head up from the sheets. Though she understood now that was why they rushed back to the Sound Village on short notice, what was this matter about her going on a mission with Kabuto all of the sudden? "Since when do I have to help?"

"Well, it is Lord Orochimaru's land and since you've taken residence in his bed, ergo…" Kabuto let the sentence trailed off with a mocking grin. The snake kunoichi glowered at him, but remained quiet as he went on. "In any case, it's about time you do a mission for Lord Orochimaru, don't you think? You've been here with us for weeks now."

Anko perused about it for a few moments. It would be good to do something different from her regular schedule since she joined Orochimaru, but she wasn't exactly thrilled about the concept of going back to Fūma Alley since the 'incident' with that guy who'd tried to rape her. Although, Kabuto would be with, which means she'll be protected. Bobbling her head, she agreed reluctantly. "Fine, whatever."

"Good, get dress and we'll be on our way. Pardon me for the intrusion." The medic left with his amused half-smile, shutting the door behind him to leave the lovers alone.

"The reason we rushed back here was because there's someone leading a rebellion against you?" Anko asked, incredulous.

"Once and a while, my dear, a fool is stupid enough to amass soldiers to kill me. They tried, but never succeeded," the Snake Sannin explained, gathering his clothes off the floor and slipping them on.

"You're used to it, huh? You aren't worried?"

"No need for that. Kabuto will reestablish my law upon the citizens of this land for me." The Sannin pivoted to her when he was done assembled his clothes on his body, lowering his down to kiss her quickly. "It's a simple mission, so don't disappoint me."

"Hmph." Anko scoffed mildly, getting off the bed to put on clothes. Sparing once last glance at her nudity, Orochimaru left the room to train his protégée.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"A _moron_ leading a rebellion against Orochimaru makes detour to a _brothel_." Anko stated plainly as her brown irises scanned the prostitution building in disgust. Frankly, she was disturbed by the potent smell of sex and perfume that wafted through the musky air; the sight of women in skimpy little dresses with heavy makeup and tacky jewelry on their exposed bodies while they 'entertain' their clients—men who were dressed in white cotton robes or their own garbs slightly peeled off; the sound of skin slapping against skin and the loud pleasured moans that came every corner of this revolting brothel named the Palace of Yorokobi, translated as the Palace of Pleasure. "Should I pretend to be surprised?"

Kabuto stood at her side, unaffected, as his onyx eyes wandered through the crowd in search for someone who can give them information. "Let's be done with this. I don't want to be here, either."

"Did you dragged me along with you because you didn't want to be left alone in this place?" Anko gave the silver-haired youth an inquisitive look, a witty smirk on her face. Before Kabuto had the chance to throw a retort at her, a woman with brunette, wavy hair wearing a tight, yellow corset dress greeted them in a sultry tone.

"Welcome to the Palace of Yorokobi, what is your pleasure?"

"We're not here to entertain ourselves with peddling flesh." Anko said bluntly, wanting to get this business over with as soon as possible. "We're here to find a man rumored to lead rebellion against Orochimaru."

"Many of our clients would love that acerbic tongue of yours. You could do very well here," chimed in a new voice. A shapely, dark-haired woman strolled over to them in a loose-fitting black dress that showed too much of her ample chest.

"Who're you?" Anko inquired with a sneer.

"The headmistress of the palace, Hatsumomo." the woman declared, swiveling her head to look at Kabuto. "If you want to see the general, then come with me."

"Anko, you can head back," the Sound shinobi told her. "I can take it from here."

The snake kunoichi studied his face for a moment, noting a cold glimmer in his onyx optics as he slipped a kunai out of his pouch and hid it behind his back. Knowing he was going to kill this man right inside the brothel, Anko left swiftly with a faint nod. She didn't want to stay for the murder that was about to come.

It wasn't long until she heard shrieks of horror and fright emanating from the building as she journeyed back to the hideout. Oddly enough, she wasn't as disturbed as she thought by hearing Kabuto carried out a ruthless task from her lover. She had grown used to their cruel ways, even though they will never show it in front of her.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"…and that's all I have to report."

Anko stifled a yawn as she passed through the meeting room of the hideout, rubbing her watery eyes. Later that night, she woke up to find that Orochimaru wasn't in bed with her and decided to go search for him. Hearing Kabuto's voice emanating from the meeting room, Anko stopped in her tracks and peered through the creak in the door. From one corner of the room, she saw the silhouettes of Kabuto and the Snake Sannin dancing across the room by the flickering candle on the long table.

The faithful Sound subordinate was reporting about the mission today, but then she heard him slowly and carefully added, "I do have one other thing to report, my lord. When I was finished ridding of that man who was said to amassing soldiers against you, I heard something strange in the town."

"What is it?"

"Talk about a few…visitors in the Land of Rice Paddies. Leaf ninja, to be exact."

Behind the door, Anko gasped as feeling of panic rising up within her at the news. So they've come to get her back. They were here for her, to take her back to the Leaf—and away from Orochimaru. While her heart pounded inside her, the snake kunoichi continued to listen.

"How many?" Orochimaru demanded, his golden optics narrowing in dissatisfaction.

"Two. Kakashi Hatake and a kunoichi with black hair."

At once, Anko knew whom he was talking about. _Kurenai…_

"Anko," the Sannin's knowing tone jolted her out of her confirming thoughts, without looking at the door. "Come in if you want to know."

The door swung open with a loud creaking noise and the anxious violet-haired woman entered, her irises to the ground as she smoothed the little black dress she was wearing on her body.

Orochimaru looked at his right-hand man, dismissing him with a jerk of his head. The silver-haired medic bowed, exiting the room to give the lovers some privacy. There was a tense silence between the two, the Sannin waiting for Anko to say something he knew she wanted to ask him, but couldn't find the words to.

He held out a pale hand to her. "Come here."

She took his hand, allowing herself to be pulled into his lap as he cradled her in his arms. Finally, she spoke then, her voice muffled and distressed. "What's going to happen now?"

"We're moving on to the next base," he answered. "Kabuto and Sasuke knows the protocol, there's no reason for us to be stay here anymore."

Swallowing the lump down her throat, her lips quivering in hesitation as she forced out the next words. "You're not going to kill them, are you, if they try to bring me back to the Leaf?"

"That would be up to you." Orochimaru's golden hues glimmered with dark anticipation. "This will be my final test of loyalty to you. You can stay here with me, or go with them. If you want to stay, then we leave right now, but go with them and you'll know what will happen."

Dread slicing through her like a blade as the decision she will have to make. A whirlwind of emotions constricted her breathing for a moment, agony gripping at her as she contemplated of the choice she now has to make.

As the silence stretched, she forgot how kind and caring Orochimaru could be. She didn't want to leave him because she loved him so much, but her intelligence reminded her how cold and ruthless could become in an instant. However, if she goes back to the Leaf, there was no telling what will happen to her. The answer was obvious to her, even though she didn't want her friends to be hurt because of it.

"I'll stay with you." Anko stated firmly, surely. The Snake Sannin smirked broadly at her decision, his lips crashing down on hers in a hard and fast heated kiss.

"Then let's go." He eased her off his lap and on the ground as he stood up, striding over the door as Anko followed after him. "We need to move quickly."

ஜ ~ ஜ

"This looks like Kabuto's doing." Kakashi's visible eye drifted to every inch of the brothel, studying the bloodstains and the grotesque, mutilated body on the bed in the room.

He and Kurenai arrived in the village near sundown and after they 'persuaded' someone to inform them of any strange recent activity in the town, they came upon the high-strung, terrifying rumors that a Sound ninja brutally slaughtered a man in the brothel. There was no sign of a human in the deserted prostitution building, but the mess scattered across it was an indication that a fight defiantly took place here.

"The blood looks fresh." Kurenai noted, a hand on her hips as she joined his side after examining another side of the room. "We're close. If Anko is with Orochimaru and Kabuto was here, they can't be too far from us."

The Copy Ninja inclined his head agreement, pivoting around to the exit with Kurenai to proceed with their search for their target. "Right, let's go before one of Orochimaru's puppets alerts that we're here in his land. Let's find Anko and bring her home."

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Anko, stop!" a voice called at her. Anko glanced over her shoulder while she continued to leap through the trees with the three males, her eyes widening as she saw two figures approaching them. She stopped on a branch, landing next to her lover as Kabuto and Sasuke landed behind them on another tree.

Kakashi and Kurenai halted their tracks as well, standing directly across from the snake kunoichi a few trees away from her. The expressions on their faces were a mixed with relief and desperation on seeing their friend again. The Copy Ninja's eye was also glued on the Uchiha boy standing behind her.

"Anko, come on! We're here to bring you home." Kurenai said eagerly, her crimson irises wavering with concern. But then, to her astonishment, she saw Orochimaru grabbed her friend's shoulder and whispered something in her ear. Anko then turned her head back to her Kurenai and Kakashi, shaking her head in refusal.

"I'm not going with you."

"Anko, what're you talking about?" the raven-haired kunoichi inquired.

"I'm staying with Orochimaru." Anko asserted firmly. The Sannin smirked smugly at the two Leaf shinobi, wrapping a possessive arm around the violet-haired woman's shoulders to draw her close to him.

"What's going on, Anko?" Kakashi demanded, a little shaken at the sight of the enemy and his friend together. "Didn't you say you wanted to kill Orochimaru? Why are you with him?"

"It's quite simple, really." Orochimaru replied before his lover could. "Anko and I have taken a fondness to each other."

"You're lying!" Kurenai seethed in rage, rejecting the idea that Anko had any willing participation in what the snake claimed. "Anko, come on. Let's go."

"She said no." Sasuke sneered; tired at the delay that was preventing them from moving on to the next base. Although, he secretly didn't want Anko to leave and go back to the Leaf. He unsheathed his Snake Sword, and pointed at the older shinobi, ready to take them down if they needed to.

"Kabuto, take Sasuke and head to the next base." Orochimaru ordered his right-hand man.

"Right." The silver-haired medic complied, darting a warning to the Uchiha boy to follow his lord's command before they both dashed away from the sight.

"If you won't come back willingly, Anko," Kakashi began threateningly, uncovering his Sharingan eye from his headband. "I'm afraid that we have to take you by force."

"Try it." She accepted the challenged confidently. Orochimaru smirked at her before he disappeared in the shadows of the trees to observe the fight between his ex-pupil and her friends. This was not only a test of loyalty, but also a test of strength for the violet-haired woman. If she proves where her allegiance to him, then Anko would fully be his and severed all ties with the Leaf.

However, taking on the Copy Ninja and a genjutsu specialist was more difficult than Anko thought. The fight lasted longer than expected, and Orochimaru frowned when he saw Anko being knocked out from behind by Kurenai, who pulled out a syringe of yellow liquid and plunged it into the snake kunoichi's shoulder, knocking her out. Before he could save his girl, Kakashi lifted Anko in his arms and vanished in a cloud of smoke with Kurenai before his amber irises.

ஜ ~ ஜ

**A/N: **Don't. Say. It. I know it was a bad and a really crappy chapter. I apologize to all of you for making you guys read this. I had to scratched a lot of stuff from this chapter, and then added more material into it. I thought throwing in a lemon scene would make it better, but that didn't do much. The only important matter is the chapter was Anko being captured, but I needed something to fill in the gap. In order to do that, I had to use scrapes of my first plotting idea for _Morning Glory_.

For example, I was able to use the idea to make Anko and Kabuto visited a brothel. I got the idea from watching the episode _Resurrection_ in one of my favorite shows, _Legend of the Seeker_. One of my favorite episodes called _Torn_ was where I got the line of the waterfall glistening red and is said to be the most romantic spot in said land. The thing I incorporated in the chapter before I posted the chapter, I added the name of the headmistress of the brothel. I got the name Hatsumomo from watching the beautiful movie _Memoirs of a Geisha_. Can any of you guess what Hatsumomo means in Japanese? The character for "hatsu" (初) means "first" or "beginning", while the character for "momo" (桃) means "peach". Therefore, "Hatsumomo" means "first/beginning peach".

I want to apologize for taking so long to update. I've started school in August, so it took some time for me to adjust to my schedule. Along with that, this week my laptop was messed up and had to reboot the whole thing to its original state. Fortunately, I backed-up everything I have, so the rest of the chapters are safe.

Lastly, I know all of you have lots of questions about the nature of my fic, so rest assure that I will explain everything in the last chapter along with my thanks to all of you who have read my story. If you have any more questions, please tell and I'll answer them in the final chapter! Thank you, everyone, for supporting me!


	13. Doubts Of Love II

**A/N: **Hi, guys! I'm back! Sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long! I finally got my new laptop on November 29 and after spending a little time adjusting to my new laptop, I found time to sit down and proof-read Chapters 13 and 14! As promised, two chapters for you guys to make up for not updating for a long time! Again, I'm really sorry being away for so long, so I hope these two chapters can make it up to everyone. See? I kept my promise, didn't I? It's just like I said before: I'm not like the other OroAnko authors out there that just give up on their fics for long periods of time or quit writing because they lose interest.

I want to thank everyone all so much for supporting me this far and sticking by me! It really meant a lot, so thank you very much for reading _Morning Glory_. Also, I think since we're almost done with _Morning Glory_, it's time to say this:

I want to apologize to those that might find _Morning Glory_ to be a little...boring recently. It's okay and I understand, because _Morning Glory_ has taken a different turn I first thought of the idea and it might seem to some of you that _Morning Glory_ has gone south since it first began. Despite how it's going to turned out in the end, I'm actually quite proud of what I'd accomplished with this story. It's been my longest multi-chapter story, since the chapters so long in the beginning, and my first long story to include sex scenes.

I'm okay with how everything turned out in the end, and that's why I don't mind that _Morning Glory_ went in a different direction than from what I'd originally expected. _Morning Glory_ was originally created to be a mind story for me, a story in my head that I played to past time in school when I was bored. Even when I had so many ideas at the time, I wasn't even sure if I was going to type it or even post here on this site. But I did, and it turned to be a big success! And that's because all of guys supported this far, and that made me really happy.

So even if _Morning Glory_ didn't turn out to be what I expected it to be or what you guys thought too, I'm really glad I did this because not only did other authors took up my writing style slightly, like Lalexx, Jigoku-chan, Ryunn-kun, Cutebutdeadlyalchemist, and Angelus Iapsus such as using the term "Snake Sannin" in their stories, I was able to bring a small, fresh twist into OroAnko stories—even if it was just a small one since mostly all OroAnko stories are similar to each other.

I also wanted to make a difference. I'm sure you I don't to tell you this, but the majority—a huge majority—of OroAnko authors usually droped their fics due to lack of interest or motivation, like Lalexx, for example. And as a fellow author, I don't like that. I believe that authors should finish their stories before moving on to something else, because I'm a big believer in finishing things that I've started. I'm really sad and disappointed at the amount of authors who does that, because they let down their fans who greatly enjoy their fics. I'm think by now most OroAnko authors are tired of it, like I am, so I wanted to show that there are OroAnko authors that are capable of finishing their stories. And it's not only me, either. Recently, I've been seeing authors that are doing their best to update their fics even they're busy with work or school. My good friends, Jigoku-chan, Ryunn-kun and Cute-chan are good examples of that. That's why I worked so hard to bring up the fans for the OroAnko stories. Even though the fans of this pairing is smaller than most _Naruto_ pairings out there, I don't want the remaining fans to think that all authors just give up their fics and the OroAnko are dieing out. That is probably the main reason why I even started working on _Morning Glory_ in the first place.

So, that's all I wanted to say in this chapter, so please enjoy.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko sat uncomfortably on the wooden chair in the brightly lit interrogation room. Although it has been a day after her capture, her body felt numb from the drug that was injected into her system by Kurenai. She kept her face down on the floor, refusing to see the people staring at her through the wide window from outside of the room. When the news of the snake kunoichi's return spread through the Leaf last night, many of her former comrades and friends came to see her. They were all outside the interrogation room, sympathetic and worried expressions dancing on their faces.

Her body was chained to her seat—shackles on her ankles, on wrists arms behind her back, and a belt-like restraint on her midsection, imbued with chakra to prevent her from breaking out of them. It didn't take long for the door to the room to swing open and Ibiki to stepped in, his menacing six-foot-tall figure looming over her like a stone tower. His eyes were cold as ice while he glowered down at Anko with a firm, disapproving frown on his countenance.

"I never thought I'd see you running off with a S-class criminal—Orochimaru, of all people, too," he began, preparing to put his knowledge of the human soul to good use to get the truth out of his friend. However, the door to the room opened once more, and entered another person that the violet-haired woman did not want to see right now.

"Ibiki, wait. I want try this myself first." Tsunade announced, her hazel irises gazing at restrained woman sternly. "Out with it, Anko. How did this happen? When? What caused this?"

Silence was only responder.

"You've put me in a difficult position. From what Kakashi and Kurenai told us, there's something more going on between you and Orochimaru." The Sannin placed her palms on the table, leaning forward close to Anko's face to intimidate her. "I'm here because I want to help you. Tell me, why you left the village and why you went to him."

"Why does it matter?" Anko inquired hoarsely, lifting her face so her eyes met with the blond woman's. "Nothing you can do or say will change the Leaf Council's minds. They want me _dead_!"

"Damn it, Anko!" Fury laced the Fifth Hokage's words, her fist banging on the desk so roughly that the vibrations shook the whole room. "What the hell happened between you and Orochimaru? I'm your friend, we all are! What, was he forcing you to stay with him? What was it? Blackmail? Drugs? Jutsu? Or did he manipulate you again and you let him sink his fangs into you?

"How _dare_ you!" Anko shouted, seething in rage at the insinuation of her being so weak and foolish enough to be played with by former mentor. "I'm not an idiot! I know who he is and what he does!"

"Then why did you go to him? You of all people should've known what kind of person he is! You can't trust him for a second!"

"I know that!"

"Then tell me why!" Tsunade demanded, her volume rising with every word. "Your actions have cost you greatly. By leaving the village without my permission and joining Orochimaru, you've signed your death warrant! You realize that, don't you?"

Anko growled furiously. "I will not die. Not here, not now."

"What were you doing with Orochimaru, Anko? Why _him_?"

"You know why, don't you?" she sneered, struggling in her restraints. "After all, you and everyone keeps telling me I have feelings for him, right? There's your answer!"

Tsunade was taken aback for a moment. A look of…_something_…flashed across her countenance as she exhaled a sigh to calm herself. "You love him, then? You left the village for that reason, fully knowing that he was _never_ going to return your feelings?"

"Shut up! You don't know anything!" Anko bellowed, clenching her teeth together in rage.

"I know that he's manipulating you—he has ever since you were a child!" Tsunade argued back hotly. "He used you, twisted your life, erased your memories, and betrayed your trust. He done all of that to ruined your life, and now you were stupid enough to let it happened again!"

Something snapped inside Anko then, and she jerked forward in attempt to lash at the Hokage, despite she knew she couldn't because of her shackles. The blond woman recoiled, watching her struggle as the metal of the chains scraped against her skin, causing her to bleed. When the snake kunoichi finally managed to calm down, the look in Tsunade's irises from before was clear to her now—and she despised it so much. Nothing's change whether she was with the Leaf Village or not, because they all look at with one emotion.

Pity.

"Lady Hokage, I'll take it from here." Ibiki intervened. The Hokage nodded, sparing one last glance at Anko before she left the room and joined the others out in the hallway. When the door shut close, the male Special Jōnin and stared down at his friend solemnly. "Anko, we're trying to help you. You're not stupid, so I don't know why you're refusing to cooperate with us."

"Nothing you say or do is going to make me change how I feel, Ibiki." Anko told him quietly, hanging her head so that her bangs would cover her face. "You don't know me anymore."

"You're wrong, Anko. I do know you, and I know a part of you still cares of the Leaf," he retorted calmly. "I still can't believe you of all people would run off to Orochimaru. I thought you said you hated him, said you wanted to _kill_ him. What in the world were you thinking? A better question: Were you _even_ thinking at all?"

"I didn't plan for that to happened, okay? You don't know that the hell you're talking about!" Anko yelled, her head bolting up so he could see the pain in her caramel hues. The desire to comfort her like he did when he found her broken and weak shot overwhelmed him, but Ibiki knew there was no room for sympathy right now. In this room, he was the interrogator and Anko was his victim of torture. "_He_ found _me_! I left the village, but I didn't go to him! I was wandering around in a town and he found me there! I didn't thin—"

"That's your problem, Anko, you don't think! You just do whatever you want without thinking about the circumstances or the consequences!" he interrupted sharply.

"Yes, Ibiki, that's me!" she shouted in a biting tone. "You think you know me _so_ damn well? What I did, I did out of love!"

"For Orochimaru?"

"For the Leaf Village, you jerk!" Anko corrected heatedly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I was seeing him behind the village's back, but I knew I couldn't do it forever because I didn't want to betray the village! He _wanted_ me to come with him, but I refused him! I couldn't stay in the village either, so I left! I didn't know where I was going and I didn't care, just as long as I was away from _you_ and the _Leaf_ and _Orochimaru_!"

"So how did it happened? How did you two meet when you left? What happened when he did? He seduced, told you that he loved you? But falling for that would make you an even bigger _idiot_, Anko, which I know you're not. So I'm assuming you didn't fall for it, not at first at least."

"Aren't you clever?" she spat him vehemently.

He ignored that remark. "Where is Orochimaru, Anko?"

"I don't know."

"I find that hard to believe. Kakashi and Kurenai told us that Orochimaru ordered Kabuto and Sasuke to head their hideout when they confronted you. Out with it, Anko. You know something, don't you?"

"He didn't trust me enough to tell me. He hardly tells me anything." Anko murmured, averting her eyes to the floor. "And I didn't trust him, no matter how much I did love him."

"Hmm… You love him, but didn't trust him." Ibiki repeated, processing the information into a tactic that he could use to squeeze more information out of her. "Then why stay with him?"

The snake kunoichi gave him a faint mocking smile. "He was very…_persuasive_."

Ibiki held back the scowl on his face. "So you stayed because he was good in bed?"

Anko sneered at him. "No, I stayed because I love him."

"But you knew that he didn't love you."

"How would _you_ know that?"

"Because people like Orochimaru are not capable of love, Anko, something you must have forgotten." he countered darkly. Anko's eyes widened and her face blanched, her teeth clenching together tightly at his cruel words. "Have you've gotten that _weak_, Anko, that you allowed yourself to be used by Orochimaru _again_? Are you just using _him_ just as much as he's using _you_? You've been on you're own for so long, you probably just wanted someone to be with."

"Shut up, Ibiki!" she screamed, the Curse Mark throbbing as the painful memories came flooding back into her mind. She grimaced at the anguish, the Curse Mark taking its toll on her body. She didn't want to listen to anyone anymore; she didn't want her doubts make her regret every decision she ever made; she didn't want hear the words that made her feel weak and pathetic.

"Orochimaru only claimed that he loved so you could turn against the people who took care of you and taught you. He doesn't love you and anyone else, he only cares for himself and that's a fact, Anko!"

"Shut up!"

"You're being ridiculous." Ibiki went on, cracking her even more. "Orochimaru doesn't love you, Anko, he's _using_ you! He just wants to see you crushed and then he'll tossed you aside."

"Ibiki, that's enough. Quit it!" The door the interrogation room whammed open and Genma walked in, his handsome face etched with concern for the sobbing snake kunoichi. "Get over here, _now_."

The sadist looked down at the broken girl tied to the chair, a flicker of regret crossing his features before he left the room with Genma, leaving her to cry her wounded heart out, just when she thought it was finally going to heal. Hearing those words was worse than having knife plunged into her heart, and she wanted so _damn badly_ to get them out of her head. However, as she wept uncontrollably, she felt her heart shattered into a million pieces.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Why did you stop me?" Ibiki asked gruffly, standing in the hallway with Genma and the others.

The brown-haired Special Jōnin gave him an incredulous look. "Are you kidding me?'

"I was about to break her."

"_In half_, which is _not_ helping!" Genma retorted back, gesturing his hand at the window that showed Anko weeping. "Look at her, she's a wreck. That's going too far, Ibiki. You're concerned about Anko when you're cold, but you—"

"I'm doing my job," the older man argued frigidly. "My job is to get answers out of her, and that's what I was doing."

"I agree with Genma, that was taking things a little too far." Kurenai inserted softly.

"That's enough questions for now. The medics are coming in to heal her wrists and do an exam on her, and then the ANBU will take her to a cell. Ibiki, come with me. Everyone else, go home." Tsunade commanded, rubbing her temple in frustration as she and the interrogator made their way to the Hokage Tower.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Kabuto stared down at the village from a cliff from his location in the Leaf Village's forestry, adjusting his frames as he perused on the actions he should take to bust his lord's lover out of her cell. He managed to disguise himself as one of the ANBU in the interrogation room where Anko was, and he was inwardly pleased that Anko really proven herself loyal to Orochimaru and not the Leaf. Everything was going as his master suspected. Anko's friends were beginning to turn on her and she will no longer have anyone to turn to…except for Orochimaru.

However, he had a feeling that those words said by the Leaf ninja to Anko would put a strain in her relationship with the Snake Sannin. Curse those Leaf shinobi for rising doubts to Anko's head when she was finally falling his master's grasp. They were ruining Orochimaru's plans and getting in the way.

"Well? How is it?" a voice asked impatiently, snapping Kabuto of his thoughts. "Let's hurry and get this over with."

"Patience, Sasuke," the medic told him wryly. "We have the formulate a plan before we just go waltzing in there to take Anko back."

The dark-haired youth's hand reflectively reached for his Snake Sword that was held in place on his back by the purple obi. "I say we just do it. We're wasting time just standing there. Anko could be dead for all we know."

The silver-haired man smirked at the boy knowingly. "You've taken a liking to Anko, am I right, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha boy didn't reply, only glared at the older male with his Sharingan irises threateningly. Though he didn't want to admit it, Kabuto was pretty much hitting it home. He was right, Sasuke did earned some sort of respect towards the snake kunoichi since she taken care of him while he was sick. Having her around that time was almost having a mother again, and he enjoyed her company…occasionally. He didn't want to lose that warm feeling again, which he was so eager to get her out there. But, of course, he wasn't going to admit to anyone. "Can we go in or what?"

"You head back to Lord Orochimaru and tell him I'll be arriving shortly with Lady Anko in tow." Kabuto replied, jumping off the cliff to infiltrate in the Leaf Village for the second time.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko stared expressionlessly at the ceiling to her cell, fatigued and doubts swirling in her head. The medics came in and healed her injured lacerations on her wrists, sampling some of her blood and performing a medical examination on her before they left her alone. Her eyes loopy and half-closed, her mind numb and empty, her face washed out and stained with her dried tears.

She wondered what was going to happen to her now, although she was pretty sure that she was going to put on trial and then have the nail hammered down to her coffin after the Leaf Council pressured Tsunade to execute her. She deserved it after all she'd done. It would save her a lot of grief if she'd just gave up fighting the Leaf and just accept her fate. The corners of her lips curved up into a bitter smirk when she realized just how pathetic she'd become. _It's too bad…_ _Just once more… I wanted to see his face before I die…_

A scream of pain jolted Anko out her self-pity as she heaved herself up to sit in the bed, the shackles still chained behind her back and on her wrists. A series of cries and shouts of agony and clanging of clashing blades vibrated to where she was until a shadow figure appeared in front of her cell.

"Kabuto?" Anko squinted her eyes through the darkness of her cell, the light from the outside blinding her a bit. _He sent Kabuto to come back for me?_

The cell door opened with a _click_ and Kabuto rushed in with the keys in hand, coming up from behind her bed and unlocking the chains off her.

"Are you all right?" he inquired politely, hoisting her up on her wobbly feet out of the bed.

"Peachy." Anko responded sarcastically, rubbing her wrists soothingly. It felt good to have those things off of her. "For a while, I thought you guys was going to leave me to my death."

The medic gave her his trademark half-smile. "Your lack of faith in us is insulting. In any case, we better get going before more guards come. Lord Orochimaru is awaiting your arrival back home."

"All right, lead the way." She followed Kabuto out of the cell without missing a beat, noting there were multiple bodies of unconscious ANBU and other ninja scattered on the floor. Within minutes, they were out of the Leaf Village and heading back to Orochimaru.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Orochimaru and Anko… I still can't believe it." Tsunade sighed as she debriefed with Ibiki in her office later that night.

"There's no mistake." Ibiki nodded gravely, his hands in his black trench coat pockets. "She confessed to it during the interrogation, but I understand the disbelief."

"As if leaving the village was bad enough, but this is…" The Fifth Hokage took in a deep, long breath as she leaned back in her chair. "Keep this information a secret for now, and tell Anko's friends to keep their lips sealed. No one else should know about this, understood? To leave with the enemy is one thing, to do _that_ with him too, it's just so—"

"Lady Tsunade!" The door the office burst opened and Shizune ran in, panic expression on her face to match the distress laced in her voice. "Anko Mitarashi was escaped!"

"WHAT!" Tsunade exclaimed in shocked, jumping to her feet at once urgently. How in the world did Anko was able to accomplish that? Did she had help from someone? "Alert the village of this, now! She and whoever who broke her out must not leave!"

"Yes, milady, but first… I think you might want to see this." Shizune held out a sheet of paper to her mistress. "It's Anko's medical report."

The blond woman snatched the paper from her aide, her hazel optics reviewing over it quickly. According to this, Anko is… Her eyes enlarged when she saw the results on the report, and she fell back in her chair in horror. "Oh, my God…"

ஜ ~ ஜ

"What's wrong?" Kabuto glanced at Anko when stopped her tracks, her optics glued to dirt ground as they stood outside of the hideout. It was nearly dawn by the time they were able to get back to Sound from the Leaf, and the medic knew that was something wrong with the snake kunoichi, due she was too quiet on the way home. If he had to guess, it might had something to do with what happened during her mental torture with that scarred-face Jōnin. "Anko?"

She didn't answer him, but slowly brought her hand over the Curse Mark and curled her fingers tightly over it. It's been throbbing every since she got separated from the Snake Sannin, but her hesitation on entering the hideout was not because of that. Tsunade and Ibiki's words still echoed inside her head like resonating bell. She didn't want to return to Orochimaru if they turned out to be right. She wanted to go and ask the Sannin, but she was too afraid to.

"Is the Curse Mark hurting you?" he pressed on, sauntering forward to where she stood like a statue. "If it is, Lord Orochimaru will take care of it when he sees you."

Anko shook her head. "No, it's not that. I'm a little tired, that's all."

"Come, I'll bring you to Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto placed a hand on her back and escorted her in, walking down the dimly lit hallways decorated with swirls and torches. He led her to a wooden door and rapped his knuckles softly before he twisted the doorknob and entered, pushing Anko. His lord sat in his throne-like chair talking to Sasuke, who pivoted his head around when they came in. "Pardon the intrusion, my lord, but I've retrieved Lady Anko as you'd requested."

The Sannin's lips formed into a pleased smile. "Good work, Kabuto. You and Sasuke are free to leave."

The stoic Uchiha boy swiveled on his heel and strolled towards the door, inclining his to Anko when he passed her as he left with the silver-haired Sound ninja. Moments passed until the pale-skinned man took his dear girl's hand, and led her back to the room they share. The violet-haired woman wanted to speak to him, he knew that perfectly, but she couldn't find the words right now.

It was when they got the bedroom and sat on the bed did she decide to ask him. Surging up the courage within her, Anko quietly croaked to the Sannin in front of her, "Are you using me again? I need to know the truth."

"No." His answer came quickly and surely, realizing that what was troubling her. "Whatever the fools of the Leaf told you, cast those words aside. I've kept my promise to you thus far, haven't I?"

"Yes, but…" Her sentence was cut off when she felt Orochimaru gripped her shoulder and pinched down on her pressure point. She was out in a second, her back flopping softly down on the mattress. She was sleeping soundly now, although the nagging thought couldn't stop gnawing at the back of her brain—the single doubt of whether or not she could trust him. She didn't know why, but she had a strange feeling something was going to happen that would make her decide if she could trust him or not.

The Snake Sannin watched her sleep with dissatisfaction, caressing her exhausted face before he slithered out of the room, the wheels turning his head on how to handle the Leaf. Those stubborn shinobi of the Leaf wouldn't let Anko go without a fight, and neither would he. Fierce possession simmered inside of him at the thought of Anko belonging to anyone but _him_. She was his, and no one was going to take that right away from him.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"There's no way that could be true." Kurenai denied with a shake of her head. She sat with her friends in the Jōnin Standby Station the next morning, receiving the news from Ibiki about the results of Anko's medical report and the Fifth Hokage's orders to keep it on the down low. The female Jōnin was absolutely furious and disappointed at the snake kunoichi for escaping from the village and back to Orochimaru, but she never expected to hear that Anko could... It just couldn't be possible.

"I'm with Kurenai on this one." Kakashi remarked, sitting at the genjutsu specialist's right. "Could they run more tests and check again? They weren't able to examine Anko very thoroughly while she was here."

"They could, but it won't do any good." Genma replied, his toothpick flickering up and down his mouth. "I don't believe it either, but how else can we explain it?"

Asuma blew out a ring of smoke from where he sat next to his lover, taking the cigarette from his mouth to speak. "Genma's right. Last time I'd checked, a man's DNA doesn't just pop up inside a woman without his participation."

"Are they sure it's Orochimaru's?" Raidō quizzed the sadist.

Ibiki inclined his head. "Yes."

"What's the Leaf Council going to do when they find out?" Kurenai inquired, crossing her arms over her chest thoughtfully. "They can't kill Anko now that _this_ had happened."

"Lady Hokage is putting a lot of thought into it, but she's still indecisive." The interrogator exhaled a fatigued sigh. "One thing still worries me, though."

"What's that?" Genma questioned.

"Does Anko know?"

"Unlikely." Kakashi stated, leaning forward in his seat to rest his elbows on his kneecaps. "I'm more concerned about what she's going to do when the time comes, and what the elders will do. You don't actually think they're going to kill her when they find out, do you? Kurenai's right, they can't. It'd be murder."

"No matter what the circumstances may be, it doesn't change the fact that Anko violated the law and ran off to Orochimaru." Raidō retorted grimly. "I care about Anko just as much as you guys do, but I hardly think whatever we do is going to change the Leaf Council's minds. Lady Hokage wouldn't be able to do much, either. Anko is going to pay the price as a traitor to the Leaf, no matter what."

Asuma raked a hand through his dark hair, sighing profoundly at the troublesome situation. "This is turning out to be more and more of a nightmare by the minute."

Everyone else in the room concurred silently, all of them praying that Anko would make the right decision when the time comes for the news to reach her. They hoped that their friend's life was going to be spared when they find her again and take her away from Orochimaru's poisonous trap...or when Anko comes back to them. After all, when the news hit both the Snake Sannin and the snake kunoichi, then that's all the incentive that Anko will need to leave him once and for all.

ஜ ~ ஜ

**A/N: **I think I made this chapter too melodramatic, but that's okay with me since it is my story. Sorry for it seemed kinda...boring or weird or anything. Like I said, _Morning Glory _was never intended to be dragged out this much from its original plot, but then I started to write and everything went in different directions. I don't regret it, though, because if you guys think everyone is OOC in this now, you'll be surprised to have read what _Morning Glory_ was_ really_ like inside my head. I'm too much of a romantic to be writing all of this dark stuff, but I thank all of you who's been reading it. Oh, yeah! Sorry about the grammar mistakes I've been making thus far. I tend to type too fast, so I always miss some words and stuff, but once _Morning Glory_ is done and if I'm not in the process of writing any new stories, I'll go back and fix it like I'll do with my old stories. Thanks again and sorry for the delay!


	14. Unbreakable Promise

"Ahh!"

Anko flew backwards across the dirt floor from Sasuke's kick, her back roughly hit the ground and she growled in frustration as the tip of the Uchiha's Snake Sword edged closely to her neck. The dark-haired youth studied her angry face for a few seconds before he sheathed his sword away, and held out a hand to her.

"What's the matter with you?" he inquired stonily, helping her off the ground. "You're not fighting like yourself. You could've blocked that kick."

"I don't know what happened." Anko admitted, dusting dirt off her khaki coat.

It's been at least two since she returned back to the Sound Village after being kidnapped by the Leaf and held prisoner there. And since then, the violet-haired woman hasn't felt quite right. She was more tired and her movements were sluggish, which interfered with her daily spars with Sasuke. It wasn't the first time since he was able to beat her, and Anko didn't know why. It was the third time this week he'd managed to pin her to the ground with his Snake Sword at her throat.

"Losing your edge, aren't you?" Kabuto asked cheekily, sauntering forward with the Snake Sannin at his side. They were present during the spar, watching from the entrance of the hideout.

Anko snorted at his playful remark, pivoting her back to her lover to avoid letting him see the look of shame etched on her face. It was old feeling that bubbled inside of her from the time she was his Genin. When she lose a spar against him or disappoint him some way, she would swiveled around with her back to him so she couldn't see his disapproving expression on his face, which made a feeling of shame clenched in her stomach.

"I'm tired. I'm going in to rest." The snake kunoichi walked inside the hideout hastily, not wanting to be bothered with questions. She muttered a ripe curse under her breath, rebuking herself for her slow movements. What the heck was wrong with her?

Anko knew that something strange was going on with her, but she didn't know what. Besides feeling tired, she felt slightly nauseous, which caused her to have a lack of an appetite for a while. She never felt this kind of fatigue before in her life, and she wanted to get rid of it as quickly as possible. She didn't Orochimaru to think her skills were getting rusty, because then he really might abandon her. There was a possibility that wouldn't happen because of the promise he made to her, but the mistrust that was now implanted in her head, thanks to the Leaf, kept telling her that he would do something to betray her trust once more.

Anko sighed in exhaustion, entering her room and slamming the door behind her in a loud bang. Kicking off her ninja sandals, she flopped facedown on the covers, burrowing her head in the pillow and succumbed to a dreamless sleep.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Should I fetch her for you?" Kabuto suggested to his lord when the snake kunoichi left. He could tell that his master wanted to figure out what was wrong with his lover, since he noticed that was something odd going on with her.

The Snake Sannin shook his head. "No, leave her be for now."

"As you wish."

"Sasuke," Orochimaru turned to his future vessel. "Let's continue your training."

The Uchiha child nodded and strolled back inside the hideout with his teacher and the medic. As they reached the training halls, Kabuto spoke privately to the Sannin after he was done giving instructions for Sasuke to hone a new jutsu.

"My lord, we should be moving to the next base," he whispered to Orochimaru, whose golden optics was glued on his protégé as he observed his training. "The Leaf will be making their move soon. After breaking Lady Anko from her holding cell, they must know that she went back to you. They're not going to sit on the sidelines and let one of their shinobi stay with us."

"Indeed." Orochimaru pivoted his head over his shoulder to look at his right-hand man. "We will leave in two days. I have some business to conduct here before then. Inform Sasuke and Anko later on."

The silver-haired medic bowed obediently. "Yes, my lord."

"One more thing, Kabuto."

"Yes?"

"Tell Sasuke to keep an eye on my Anko." the Snake Sannin added, a grim frown crossing his features. "Something tells me she's hiding something from me."

The medic couldn't agree more. "Yes, sir."

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko treaded down the hallways the next day; her hands snuffed down her coat pockets as she wandered aimlessly down the corridors. She wanted to workout at the training halls, but she knew Sasuke would be there and demand a spar with her. She wasn't in the mood to lose to the Uchiha again, so she spent most of her afternoon lazily throwing kunai knifes at the tree outside the hideout—a pointless distraction, really. At least her aim was still perfect, unlike her battle skills.

There was nothing to do around the base if she couldn't train with Sasuke. Orochimaru and Kabuto left early morning for whatever business they needed to do before they leave for the next base, and they explicitly told her not to journey away from the hideout, which meant they she was stuck doing absolutely nothing.

Suddenly, Anko felt her stomach lurched as bile rose up in her throat. Fumbling quickly to one of the inner rooms in the base, she threw the door open and ran into the bathroom, vomiting her light breakfast she had this morning in the toilet. The nausea was never this bad before, to the point that she would actually puke. God, what the heck was the matter with her? Did she eat something that her stomach didn't agree to this morning?

She gagged again in the toilet, her arms coiled around her abdomen tightly. Over the sound of her own vomiting, she didn't hear the footsteps that belonged to Sasuke as he entered and watched her throw up over the toilet. When the wave of sickness passed, the snake kunoichi moved to the sink and twisted the faucet to clean her mouth from the bile.

With her puking down, the dark-haired boy decided it was time to make his presence known. "Are you all right?"

The violet-haired woman jolted in surprise at the sound of his voice, turning to see Sasuke leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. "What are you doing here?"

"I asked you first."

"I'm fine. I think I ate something bad, that's all." she lied again, wiping her mouth with a towel that by the sink.

"Are you sick?"

"Maybe…" Anko trailed off as something hit in the back of her head: She hasn't gotten her moon blood for this month yet. To go along with that, her breasts have been aching and she occasionally felt the crest of a headache coming onto her when the nausea kicks in. No way… No way, she couldn't be…?

"I have a headache coming on," She wobbled out of the bathroom and back into the hallway. She needed to rest and cast aside the insinuation of her being… It wasn't possible. She'd been careful with Orochimaru since they first slept together, using a jutsu to prevent conception.

Although, now that she thought about it, she wasn't able to use it lately since they arrived in the Sound from the Land of Hot Water. They had to leave Sound on short notice because Kakashi and Kurenai was coming after her, and then she was captured the Leaf. When she escaped from the Leaf, she had completely forgotten to use it after she and the Snake Sannin was reunited. With all those things happening to her during that time…it _could_ be possible. But it can't be, Anko had no attention to have a child right now, especially since now that she is a rouge ninja. It had to be stress, and nothing more. However, as she made her way back to her room, a small part of her brain was yelling at her to stop making excuses and accept the truth.

Sasuke watched her go with a unreadable expression etched on his face, unsure what to make on the situation. Contemplating on it for a few minutes, he decided to shrug it off and head back to the training grounds. For now, he'll pretend that he doesn't know anything.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Did anything interesting happen when we were gone?" Kabuto questioned the Uchiha when they returned late at night from assisting Orochimaru on his business, his master retiring to his chambers shortly after arriving. The two youths stood the silver-haired medic's medical quarters, the Sound ninja at the monitor and stroking a few keys, while Sasuke was bandaging a laceration on his right hand from his training.

"No."

The Sound ninja looked at the Uchiha as if he didn't believe him. "How was Anko? Did you notice anything odd about her?"

"No." Sasuke hopped off the bed he was sitting on and walked out of the medical quarters, a small smirk plastered on Kabuto's face as he left. He knew that the Uchiha was hiding something, but he wondered why Sasuke wasn't telling him anything. The medic told him to report the slightest behavior from the snake kunoichi when he and his lord got back.

"What could he be keeping from us?" Kabuto mused curiously.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko puked for the second time that day. After being careful to not wake her lover, she escaped into one of the other rooms in the hideout and vomited into the toilet as the bile continuously force its way up her throat

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" a cool voice asked from the bathroom doorway. Lifting her head from the toilet, her meek optics met Sasuke's black ones. She stood up from the toilet and came to the sick to wash away the bile from her mouth. "Well, are you or not?"

"I don't know, all right?" Anko confessed, seeing no reason to make excuses anymore to the clever young man. "I'm late, but that doesn't mean I'm with child."

"Late," Sasuke repeated in a dull tone, pondering thoughtfully. "You're stressed out a lot, you don't eat right, it could be possible that your…"

"Cycle." she said it for him, due to his reluctance.

"Got off balance. Does Orochimaru know about this? Did you tell him?" he inquired, trailing close behind her as she left the bathroom and into the hallway.

"No."

"Are you going to?"

"I'm not even sure if I am pregnant. I'll have to run a blood sample test or something." Anko replied, rounding down in another corridor that led to Kabuto's medical quarters. It was the dead of night, and she presumed that the Sound ninja should be asleep in his bedroom by now. Halting in his tracks, she pivoted around and jabbed a pointed finger in the Uchiha's chest angrily. "And if you tell _anyone_ about me being pregnant, if I am, I will come after you with a bone saw!"

"I'm not getting involving." Sasuke responded calmly with a shake of his head. "This has nothing to do with me."

"Good." She swiveled back around and stepped inside Kabuto's medical room, flipping on the switch. From the doorway, the dark-haired, young Uchiha watched her as she grabbed a syringe from a drawer and stick the needle in her arm, wincing as she drew out blood. The procedure of taking the blood test didn't take too long, but the most anxious part was waiting for the test results to come back.

Anko paced anxiously back and forth in the room for them to come out, Sasuke still leaning against the doorway with a bored expression on his face. Eventually, observing the snake kunoichi anxious stride repeatedly was starting to get on his nerves.

"Fidgeting won't make it come any faster," he told her flatly.

The purple-haired woman shot him an irritated look. "If you're so bored, then why are you here?"

He shrugged his shoulders as her only reply, and she groaned in annoyance the Uchiha. After a few more minutes, the sound of the monitor made a noise to alert Anko that the results were in. She rushed over to the screen quickly, her brown optics widened in shock as she read the results.

Sasuke came forward as her body started to slump to the floor, and he caught her in his arms. Moisture broke out from shut eyelids as she wept, and the Uchiha felt profoundly confused on what to comfort someone who was so tough, strong, and so steadfast. "Anko, are you…?"

She shook her head up and vigorously, her voice cracking through the din of her sobs. "I'm pregnant…"

ஜ ~ ஜ

"For someone who doesn't want others' help, you sure do need it a lot."

"…"

After Anko's mental breakdown back in the medical quarters, Sasuke carried her back to his room, and was now sitting beside her on his bed. Her face was white as a sheet, her optics filled with tears streaming down her flushed pink cheeks, and her form was trembling uncontrollably. The Uchiha didn't know what to do with a weeping woman—a weeping, _pregnant_ woman. To make matters worse, sooner or later Orochimaru will wake up to find that his woman is gone from his bed and then will be hit with the news of the pregnancy.

"He's going to hate me…" she sobbed, her face covered by her hands. "He won't want me anymore…"

"Orochimaru, you mean?" Sasuke guessed, somewhat perplexed. There is a possibility that could happen, the Snake Sannin was never the type to keep burden from slowing him down from his plans of crushing the Leaf or learning every jutsu in the entire world. And a child was defiantly an obstacle from that task, no doubt about it. On the other hand, it was obvious he…cared deeply for the snake kunoichi, and they could figure out what to do with the child. "What are you going to do with the baby?"

"I don't know. I never wanted to get pregnant. I never thought of myself as a mother, always telling myself I'd be a terrible one." Anko professed through her tears, wiping them away with her arms, but they kept coming down from her watery optics. "What am I supposed to do?"

"There's always abortion."

A gasp flew out of her mouth and her hands wrapped around her abdomen tightly as she could, her head hung low so her bangs hide her eyes from the Uchiha's view. "No… No! I don't want to kill…"

"It was just a suggestion—an option." Sasuke explained before she could get hysterical. The last thing he needed right now is the snake kunoichi screaming at him and wake up the Sannin and Kabuto in his room. And ever happened to 'not getting involved' in this pregnancy? Yeah, well… That ship has officially sailed off with him _not_ on it. "You can't hide it forever. You don't want Orochimaru to find out, but you won't terminate the pregnancy, either. "

"I have to get out of here." Anko bolted up from the bed, her palms rubbing soothingly over her stomach. "I need to leave, now."

"Leave? Where do you plan on going?" Sasuke came up to his feet too, his hands extending to touch her, but she moved away and started pacing in the room frantically.

"This was a mistake, I shouldn't have come here. If Orochimaru finds about the baby, then he'll do God-knows-what to it."

"Experimentation?" It was likely plausible, but voicing the agreement out loud to snake kunoichi would only make her more…anxious. "You need to calm down. Your hormones are out of control."

"I can't stay here, he'll just throw me aside if he finds out it; I know he will." She ignored him and continued to babble nervously. She needed to leave as soon as possible, but she didn't have a destination in mind. How the hell is she supposed to care for herself and baby? She won't go back to the Leaf, so that option was clearly out of the picture. She was a rouge ninja, and she refused to go back and be pitied upon by the Leaf ever again. She can't with Orochimaru; he'll probably hurt the child and do whacked experiments with it when it's born.

"You won't be able to survive long if the Leaf is after you." Sasuke pointed out in a matter-of-factly tone, his cold and aloofness voice coming back to him. "If you leave, Orochimaru will be furious and might send Kabuto after you. You'll have both sides to fend off with a child in a womb. You honestly think you'll be able to live through it? You might as well kill yourself and save everyone the trouble."

"You're not going to tell Orochimaru, right?" Anko inquired him, her eyes narrowing at him dangerously.

"I'm not getting involved, I told you that already," the Uchiha asserted firmly. "What you do is up to you, just make sure you're making the right decision before you do anything stupid that might get yourself killed."

A silence spread between the two as the violet-haired woman thought about his honest words. However, no matter how you look at it, she can't stay here or go back to the Leaf with the way the circumstances are now. Exhaling a deep sigh, Anko offered Sasuke a sad smile.

"It was nice knowing you," she said tenderly, planting a kiss on his forehead that shocked him as he watched her dashed out of the bedroom. The Uchiha touched the place on this temple that tingle from the warm press of her lips to his skin, and he glanced at the door that exited from. She was actually going to do it, huh?

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko strapped her backpack onto her as she stood at the exit of the hideout, looking back at it for one last time. Her eyes wavered with hesitation and sorrow, but she knew she had to do this. For her baby. She didn't want leave the Snake Sannin and go back on her promise, but she was so scared to find out what he will do to their child when he realized that she was pregnant. She wondered if he would be angry with her when he wakes up and finds her good-bye note she wrote him, and what will he do then.

She was terrified to go out on her own while she was carrying a child, and she was sad that she would be separated from the one man she'd ever loved. A bittersweet smile blossomed on her face at her musings, and she rubbed her tummy gently as she gazed at it affectionately.

"No, I won't be completely alone, will I?" she whispered to her unborn child. "I'll have you, and him with me. A part of him…in here."

Pivoting towards the exit, she took a step forward and then a voice called out to her.

"Where are you going without saying good-bye?" His silky tone was layered with mixture of hate and love for his lover. Cursing silently to herself, Anko swiveled around and stumbled backwards when she realized Orochimaru was standing directly behind her with a harsh frown on his thin lips. He was dressed in his usual garbs, and in his right hand held the note she wrote for him. "Well, Anko?"

"I-I'm leaving, I'm sorry." Anko answered, turning back around to leave, but Orochimaru appeared in front of her and blocked her way with am arm pressed against the wall. Panic rose to her mind as she thought that she might forced her way through the Sannin to get to out the base, but she didn't relished at the idea of fighting while she was with child and she didn't stand a chance of beating him.

"If this is about the child, then don't even think about it." he told her, hissing his disapproval in her ear. Anko gasped in response, tremors of her fear vibrated throughout her form as she locked her optics on his golden hues that glinted at her in anger. "We both know how this will end, my dear, so you might as well surrender."

And so she did. Anko sighed in defeat, knowing it was better than to put her body through the strain of a fight, and nodded, allowing herself to be dragged down back to their bedroom for some privacy to discuss their current issue.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Explain." Orochimaru demanded, folding his arms across his chest as he glowered down at his lover who sat on the edge of the bed while he stood in front of her.

"I was getting out of your way," the snake kunoichi answered bitterly, averting her eyes to the floor to avoid looking at him. "I'm pretty sure you don't want a kid to get in the way of your plans for obtaining power and crap, so I thought I was doing you a favor. How did you even know about that I was pregnant? I only found out for myself an hour ago."

"Kabuto."

"And how did _he_ found out?" Anko asked furiously.

"The monitor on in his medical quarters." the Sannin replied, his amber optics still glowing with anger. "Why were you planning to leave?"

"I think you know why."

"You were afraid that I might hurt the child." Orochimaru stated with a small scoff. "Why would a do a thing like that, Anko? The child had inherited my genetics, so there is no reason to conduct any kind of experiment on it."

"I find that had to believe." Anko muttered under her breath icily.

The Snake Sannin narrowed his golden eyes at her, his patience wearing down at her coldness and the lies she was radiating off of her. "Tell me the real reason why you were leaving. You're not stupid, you know that there wasn't any reason for me to experiment on the child."

"I left because you…" Her sentence trailed off as she sucked in a deep breath, tears welling up in her optics as mumbled in a low tone, "I was afraid you wouldn't want me anymore and you would leave me, when you find out about the child. I know you weren't planning to conceive a child with me from the get-go, and I didn't want to get hurt again by you. I know you, all right? You're cold and cruel, and—"

"I have kept my promise to thus far, haven't I?" he inserted and cutting her off, his words laced with rage. "Yet you still see me as the very epitome and the very root of evil. I have no desire be subjected to an explanation why you see me that way. I'm well aware of your opinion of me."

Anko was stunned and ticked off by this, surging to her feet and off the bed as she glared incredulously and spitefully at her lover. "_My opinion_? _You're_ the one who told me that I was weak and useless, which just so happened to be the very last words you tossed in my face when I was a child and then abandoned me!"

"_You rejected me_!" the Sannin retorted back heatedly, advancing closer to the snake kunoichi. "I offered a chance for you for you to come, but you refus—"

"—after _you_, without warning, came at me with an army of snakes and locked me in a hut, where you branded me with this _thing_ on my neck!" the violet-haired woman yelled back as she placed a hand over her Curse Mark, getting into the pale-skinned man's face. "Didn't you think that I might be a _bit _angry about that? How the hell was I supposed to know that you weren't going to do the sa—"

"—you should have _trusted_ me!"

"I didn't I _could_!"

As their words hung in the air, their chests heaving from their shouts, there was a knock on the door and Kabuto entered somewhat awkwardly.

"Lord Orochimaru, Lady Anko, I must recommend that you two calm down and—"

"Back off, would you?" Anko snarled at the medic, glancing at the silver-haired Sound ninja over her lover's shoulder. Her face was flushed pink with anger and she really didn't need someone to butt in right now into her conversation with Orochimaru. "We're trying to have a goddamn discussion here!"

And then the door closed without a second's delay, leaving the snake kunoichi and the Snake Sannin alone, both of them staring at each other in a thick silence.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"They're still fighting, huh?" Sasuke inquired in a monotone voice, resting against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest in the hallway.

"Anko is going to exhaust herself at this rate. The stress isn't good for the child." Kabuto remarked wearily.

"I don't blame her for leaving after she found out the baby."

The medic's brow furrowed at him, realization striking him as those words left the Uchiha's mouth. How could he have known that Anko was leaving when he only arrived outside the Sannin's bedroom shortly after the couple started to argue? Sasuke's been in his room all night, haven't he? Unless… "You knew that Anko was with child?"

"Of course I did. Along with her tiredness, I saw her vomited a few times tonight." Sasuke answered in an uncaring tone.

"And you're telling me this now, _why_?"

"It wasn't any of my business."

"I told you to report anything strange about Anko if you saw it." Kabuto reminded him harshly.

"At the time, I wasn't sure she _was_ pregnant." the Uchiha replied in the same tone. "And I wasn't going to get involved. Whatever goes on between Orochimaru and Anko is officially none of _my_ business. The problem they're having is _only_ between Orochimaru and Anko, and the only one who can fix it is the two of them."

With those words spoken, Sasuke straightened himself off the wall and sauntered down the corridor and back to his room.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"I never planned for you to be pregnant, Anko." Orochimaru told her, sitting next to her on the bed after they both have calmed down. "How that happened was unplanned and unexpected. It was your reasonability to use that jutsu to prevent conception."

"A lot had happened, so I forgot." Anko replied, caressing her abdomen gently with both of her palms. "And you must have known of the possibility of me becoming pregnant."

"It had occurred to me, but it was never my desire to have a child." the Snake Sannin said, his reptilian optics studied her affectionate gesture over the child that was growing in her womb. Thriving.

"Then what made you decide that you wanted me for?" the snake kunoichi quizzed softly, her brown hues meeting his amber ones. She honestly wanted to know his reason for choosing her to be his lover, and not anyone else. There was many women in the Sound that was attractive in their own rights and would gladly…entertain their lord, and might considered it an honor. So why her? She was nothing, since that what she saw herself as.

Orochimaru studied her face, reading the questions swirling around inside her head. Sighing, he coiled one arm around his girl and pulled her close in an embrace. She was so foolish that she couldn't even see her everything that was alluring about her. She was smart, stubborn, fiery, powerful, and beautiful. "You can't see your own value? That's very pitiful."

Anko felt lightheaded at his compliment that hinted that she was actually had desirable attributes that made her worthy of being desired by others. Her cheeks reddened and she burrowed her face into his chest.

"What happens now?" she asked quietly.

"That will be up to you," the Snake Sannin responded, tipping her chin upwards to look at her face. "Do you want to keep the child?"

"Yes, but do you want to?"

"An heir could be interesting…" he mused, bringing up a hand to stroke his lover's cheek. "Of course, you must stay with me, and discard the idea of leaving."

"And what do I get in return?" A small, wry smile blossomed on her face as she teased him, happy that he was allowing her to keep the child.

"I vow to protect you and the child."

"Promise?"

"Yes." He locked his lips with hers in a slow, smoldering kiss, sealing the unbreakable promise between them.

ஜ ~ ஜ

**A/N: **Yeaaah... I'm a big sap. Total OOC in this chapter, folks, but remember that _Morning Glory_ was originally created from a story in my head. I can't write dark and evil characters very well, I'm too much of a romantic. I think I did pretty well up to Chapter 8, though, which was probably the best I could do for a story like this. I mean, the story is using meanings from a _flower_, after all, so naturally the story wouldn't be all dark and angst like any other OroAnko stories out there. But who cares, right? It's my story, so I can do whatever the heck I want with it! Hope some of you guys like it, and sorry if it was too mushy! The next chapter will be the last and will be posted on Christmas!


	15. Asagao

**A/N: **MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!

It's finally here, guys! The last chapter of _Morning Glory_! I did it, I created my first long multi-chapter _Naruto_ fanfic! And I'm quite proud to say that I am the first person to ever do a OroAnko story like this one by using the meaning of the of real Morning Glory flower. Because it's the end, it's time for explanations. As I said before, _Morning Glory_ was a story I made up in my mind because I was so bored in school and had nothing else to do in class when I was done with my work. But I never told you guys how the idea of creating _Morning Glory_ came into light.

As _Naruto_ fans, I'm pretty sure all of you must know that the _Naruto_ franchise releases special arts and other merchandises for us to buy. How I got the idea to create _Morning Glory_ was by buying the _Naruto Official Fanbook_. On pages on 159-160, there's a section called "Ino Yamanaka's Flower Fortune Telling", which tells your fortune with six different flowers; Morning Glory, Dandelion, Freesia, Daphne, Sweet Pea, and Chrysanthemum. Page 159 lists the flowers, and page 160 showed the results. The first flower, Morning Glory, is Anko's flower:

**Personality:** Very serious, with a strong sense responsibility, and never slacks off. Could crumble under pressure. Occasionally needs to explode.

**Love:** Serious about love and would never cheat.

**Work:** If she takes a job, she finishes it. Quite capable.

In the Language of Flowers, a Morning Glory means "fleeting love, unbreakable promise, lingering attachment", as well as "Affection". The Morning Glory represents "love in vain" for whatever outside circumstances according to the Victorian "Language of Flowers", which attributed various properties and sentiments to flowers so that people could communicate their feelings by what flowers were given as gifts, such as those by a suitor to their loved one. In Chinese folklore, flowers signify love, affection or mortality, and they represent a single day for lovers to meet. In the Japanese Language of Flowers, known as Hanakotoba, Morning Glory means "willful promises". The Romaji for Morning Glory is Asagao and the Japanese Name is 朝顔. In Asagao, ''asa'' means "morning" and ''kao'' means "face". The Morning Glory also symbolizes "mortality" and allows people to see just how short, yet beautiful, life can be.

Because this tubular star-shaped Morning Glory flower primarily symbolizes affection, the flowers only blossom in the morning, hence the name, and die by afternoon or nightfall, making it representative of the sometimes fleeting nature of affection. But the vine produces new flowers every day during its growth season, representing the renewable nature of love. Given Morning Glory flower's short lifespan, it also signifies unrequited love. I believe that the Morning Glory, which corresponds to Anko, symbolizes her relationship with Orochimaru.

And let me tell you guys, finding all that research was such a headache! So afterwards, I thought of what will happen if someone was to actually write a story with the meanings until I actually developed it in my mind during school. That's how _Morning Glory_ was created! If you guys go back and read some of the chapters, you can actually find information from the fanbook inside the chapters.

With that done, I know all of you are all asking me why my story included such OOC for characters like Sasuke and Orochimaru since they so nice. As I said in the previous chapter, _Morning Glory_ was _never_ intended to by a dark and angst OroAnko story—mostly because I knew I was incapable of doing writing about evil characters. I thought about maybe doing one-shots imbued with a solemn mood might work, but I decided that I couldn't do that either because I used to writing long chapters since I feel stories are best. After months of planning and debating, I finally began writing it.

However—and I'm telling you guys to show what true dedication is for a committed author—something went wrong after a week from last birthday. My laptop caught a bad virus somehow and I was forced to reboot, leaving not only other mind stories I wrote down but also the first two chapters and half of chapter three of _Morning Glory_. I was totally heartbroken and a crying wreck when that happened when I realized all of my hard work was lost. The first two chapters were one of the longest chapters throughout _Morning Glory_ since they were novelization of the episodes from _Naruto_. As I'm sure you all know, novelization in fanfics isn't easy. It takes a lot of time to add your original details into it and to try to get the movements and words from the characters precisely.

When that happened, I felt giving up on doing _Morning Glory _because I felt I was unable to recreate the chapters since the first time was a lot of work. But I didn't, because I knew I would be breaking my promise to everyone I told about _Morning Glory_ before I had published it. So, after I pulled myself together, I got back on my feet and started to type again. Surprisingly, I was able to get the two chapters done faster than I did the first time. Normally, it would take me two or three days to complete a chapter, but I was able to accomplished retyping the chapters in _one day_! Not only that, I was able to write the other 10 chapters in two weeks since my laptop finished its reboot somewhere around April 19. I felt really happy and proud because I knew I've done something most OroAnko authors wouldn't even consider doing again. I never gave up on my story like the others did, I worked hard and created to be one of the longest OroAnko stories out there! I was able to inspire others too, like Ryunn-kun, to take my style up and use them in their stories. My friends on this site said that I was quite influential when it comes the OroAnko section, and that really made happy. I know some you might think it doesn't sound all that impressive when you're reading this, but try and imagine how I felt when I lost my data when I was forced to reboot my laptop—not that rebooting helped since it died somewhere in September and I was forced to wait until end of the November to start writing again.

But anyway, having done that with _Morning Glory_ when I had a deadline date, since I told everyone I was posting it on May 1, and typing over 10 chapters in such a short of amount of time, is something I considered to my biggest achievement ever! I completed over 10 chapters of _Morning Glory_ in a single month, when most authors take weeks just to complete a single chapter! I was really glad that I proven myself to be different than the quitters. I wanted to tell everyone this as a way to show all of the OroAnko fans that there are authors that are capable on actually finishing their work all the way and not give up. I want fans to have faith that the OroAnko fandom will never die because they are other people like me out there that are capable of finishing their fics.

Okay, I've babbled enough, so let you read the chapter now! I'll finish my speech at the end, so please enjoy.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Anko vomited for the third time today, heaving over the toilet to gag up the bile rising up her throat. She coughed the remnants of her lunch after the last wave of nausea hit her, and then wobbled towards the sink to clean her mouth.

It has been a week since she learned she was at least three weeks pregnant with Orochimaru's child. After they made up from their argument when he found about the pregnancy, Kabuto gave her a list of instructions on what do for the next nine months, which included no training and eating healthier foods. She was furious that she would no longer be fit to train for the next nine months for when the child is born, afraid that her abilities as a shinobi would become rusty.

Though she was just in her earlier stages of her pregnancy, Sasuke was assigned to be her…babysitter, just in case she decided to do anything that would endanger her or the child growing her womb. The Uchiha would only monitor her for a few hours during the day and then return to his training. He was in the bedroom with her right now, in fact, leaning against the doorframe of the adjacent bathroom with his arms crossed over his torso and his stoic eyes watching her in a bored manner.

"You shouldn't bother eating if you're just going to throw up," he said, receiving an irritated glare in return.

"I'm going out for some air," she announced, strutting past the Uchiha. She barely made it out the room when his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist to prevent her from leaving.

"You're not supposed to leave the base." Sasuke reminded her. "If people find that you're pregnant with Orochimaru's child, then you'll be in danger."

"I'm not even showing that I'm with child yet." Anko clasped her free hand over her flat stomach. "Orochimaru can't keep me locked up forever because I'm pregnant. I despise concealment of any kind, and keeping me trapped inside the hideout is like being in a prison."

"It's for your own safety," the Uchiha retorted calmly, tugging her towards the bed. "Just rest for the time being."

She swatted his hand off her and huffed in annoyance as she sat down on the edge of the bed. She hated being forced to remain inside of the base, feeling that she was being robbed of her freedom because she was with child. When the Snake Sannin first ordered to stay in the hideout, she objected to the idea. She understood why he was commanding her to stay in the hideout, but she did not like being kept from the outside world. It's only been a week since she was allowed to see sunlight, but it felt like an eternity down in the gloomy and dark base.

She just wanted to be out in the open for just a minute, but she couldn't go outside when she had a bodyguard watching her like a hawk. A plan conjured up in her head as she lay back on the bed and feigned fatigue. The snake kunoichi closed her eyes and waited patiently for Sasuke to determine that she was fast asleep before he exited the room. When she no longer heard his footsteps echoing down the corridors, Anko sprung up from the bed and left the bedroom, snatching her khaki coat from the hanger in the room and slipped it on.

She knew Sasuke headed back to his training in the training halls, and Orochimaru and Kabuto were discussing their next moves somewhere else in the residence. They haven't transferred to the next hideout like they'd original planned to, wanting to take precautious procedures when the time came for Anko's body to show the full signs of her pregnancy that would slow down their travels. They'll be moving to the next base soon, before the Leaf shows up and try to take her back.

The rays of the blazing sun blinded her as she stepped out the hideout. The violet-haired woman shielded her optics with her hand as she squinted to adjust to the brightness. She relished as the warmth from the sun kissed her skin and the light breeze wafted through her. Smiling, Anko strode aimlessly around as she pondered thoughtfully about the constant worrying gnawing in the back of her brain.

She was pregnant with Orochimaru's child, and that meant she would be in danger and useless when the Leaf comes after her. She was afraid that the Leaf would issued her death along with her baby inside her womb if they got her. Tsunade would never allow a child's life to be taken, in spite of who and what the mother was and did. However, the Leaf Council wanted her dead, so the Fifth Hokage wouldn't be able to protect her for too long.

A drop of water splashed on her face, snapping her out of her musings. Anko looked up at the sky and saw that a storm was brewing, gray clouds coming together as rain tumbled towards the ground. Her brown irises scanned her surroundings, and Anko gasped slightly when she realized that was in town, Fūma Alley.

Orochimaru will rebuke her profusely when he found out that she wandered into town without Sasuke hovering down her neck . But she wasn't going to head back to the hideout in middle of a storm, the harsh wind picking up as the spitting ran continued to fall. Thinking on where she should go for shelter, Anko dashed to the only destination where she would be safe until the storm clears.

Being stuck in the hideout for days with no training, the snake kunoichi took it upon herself to study the layout of the town from the maps. She knew there was a midwife stationed somewhere in the town, and that was where she was going. In a rough town like Fūma Alley, it was pretty common for young girls to get pregnant with or without their consent. There wasn't any hospital built in the worn-out town, so the midwife's home was the only place for young ladies to go to for help.

She arrived at her destination and rapped her knuckles on the door, shivering from the water that dripped off her from head to toe. She loathed seeking for others' help, but she can't stay out in the wet or else she will catch a cold, since being sick was not good for her baby.

A few moments passed until Anko heard rustling movements inside the dwelling, and a lady peeked her head out from the doorway. She was a woman in her late thirties, but her fair and smooth skin gave the snake kunoichi the impression she much younger than that. The woman's hair was silkily black and tied in a high ponytail. What captivated Anko the most, though, were her hypnotic, brilliant hues—eyes the color of rain. From the crack of the door, Anko glimpsed to see the midwife's figure adorned in a simple black shirt and red skirt with a yellow apron tied around her waist.

"Hello, how may I help you?" the woman inquired politely with a soft smile. Anko's teeth clattered against each other as she shook from the cold, hesitating to answer. She didn't want anyone else to know that was with child, it was none of anyone else's business. Noticing her reluctance, the midwife shook her head with a sigh and shifted aside to welcome her guest in. "Come inside and out from the storm."

Anko inclined her head at the woman in thanks and entered, her orbs drifting to every corner of the room curiously. This place almost resembles that of an apothecary, jars and bottles filled with aromatic herbs and liquids piled high on the tables and lined up against the walls in the living room.

"So, tell me. What had happened to you?" the midwife questioned gently as the two women sat down on a blue sofa, heat radiating in the room from the flickering flames from the hearth. "What's your story?"

"My story?" the purple-haired woman repeated, perplexed.

The elder woman shot Anko a knowing look. "The only people to ever knock on my door are young girls that were harmed by men, one way or another. You're very beautiful, so it wouldn't be much of a surprise."

"Oh, well…" Anko averted her eyes from the midwife, unsure whether she should answer or not. She wasn't forced on by some random stranger, but instead conceived a child from the only man she had ever loved. However, she felt uncomfortable to say it out loud.

"It's fine, you don't have to answer. Pardon my manners," the woman curtsied in apology for her prying, and then reached out a friendly hand to the snake kunoichi. "I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Sayuri."

"My name is Anko." She took Sayuri's hand and shook it quickly.

"Are you here to have a abortion?"

Anko shook her head, coiling her arms around her abdomen. "No, I don't want to get rid of the child. I'm just here for shelter until the storm goes away."

"Understandable." Sayuri nodded and then journeyed into towards her kitchen. She came back with a tray of tea in her hands and placed it down on her table. Pouring the sweet, hot liquid into a cup, she handed it to Anko. "Drink up. It's always good to settle down a upset stomach with a nice, hot drink."

The ex-Leaf ninja glanced at the cup and then back at her host. "What is it?"

"Milk tea."

Anko smiled, appreciating the woman's hospitality. She took a tentative sip of the brown substance, and she felt the nausea subsided. The tea was pleasantly warm and delicious, and the urge to vomit faded away for the first time since she'd became pregnant.

"Judging from the way you look," Sayuri began, referring to her normal-sized stomach as she watched the snake kunoichi drink. "I suspect you are in your early stages. Tell me, how many signs have you had? Lack of appetite, breast aching, fatigue, vomiting?"

"All of the above." Anko replied, the nervousness she felt before in this stranger's presence disappearing as she gulped the last of her milk tea.

"Do you have anywhere to go? I'll be more than happy to help you," her host offered graciously.

The violet-haired woman shook her head, clambering up from her seat. She swiveled her head to the window, noticing the storm was passing swiftly. It was time for her to get back. "No, thank you. I'll be fine. Thanks for everything."

The midwife inclined her head understandably. "Be well, dear one."

Bowing in thanks, Anko dashed out of the house and back to the hideout. Surprisingly, she found the Snake Sannin waiting for her by the entrance. When she reached him, she waiting for him to rebuke her for disobeying him, but he only popped out a question a calm tone.

"Where did you go?"

"For a walk. I didn't want to be locked up inside the base all day," she answered honestly, walking back inside the hideout with Orochimaru. "I feel like a child on a safety harness. I'm not some fragile doll you can keep inside a class case."

"Anko, let me to rob you just a little of your freedom. You need to be careful, you condition puts us all at risk. Tsunade will be sending her lapdogs after us. You do understand that, don't you?"

She bobbled her head faintly. "I do."

"We'll be moving to the next hideout tomorrow," he told her before swiveling back inside the hideout with Anko following him. "Change out of those clothes and go to sleep."

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Lady Hokage hasn't decided what do with Anko yet?" Kurenai quizzed Genma in the Jōnin with Kakashi, Ibiki, and Asuma during the night after they have completed their missions for today.

Uncertainty crossed the brown-haired Special Jōnin's face as he exhaled an exasperated sigh. "I'm not sure. Shizune told me that Lady Hokage might hold off the search for Orochimaru and Anko until the kid is born. It doesn't matter anyway, since it'll be more difficult to find them since Anko is pregnant with his child. She even told me that Lady Tsunade is going to keep it a secret from the Leaf Council."

"It's been at least three weeks since Anko escaped from the village, meaning that she's either dead or Orochimaru allowed her to keep her child." Kakashi guessed, folding his arms over his chest. "That, or Anko ran away and is not planning to return to the Leaf by her own free will. I'd expected her to come back to get help when she found out about the kid."

"We all did, but it looks like she's not coming back." Asuma blew out a ring of smoke from the cigarette in his mouth. "How do you think Anko is doing?"

"She should be fine." Ibiki replied his usual gruff tone. "Anko is strong, and if Orochimaru is with her, then I'm certain she'll be okay for the time being."

"The child of Orochimaru and Anko Mitarashi…" Kurenai mumbled, a dreadful smile blooming on her face. "Could you guys imagine what child would be like?"

"Powerful." Asuma answered grimly.

Genma inclined his head in a nod as he said, "Stubborn."

"Smart." Ibiki threw in with a grave expression plastered on his face.

"Dangerous." Kakashi added, raking a hand through his silver hair. "Mostly like a future threat to the Leaf Village."

"I don't believe that," the female Jōnin denied gently, staring down at her hands in her lap. "Anko has a good heart, I know she does. I don't think her child would become like Orochimaru."

"Only time can tell." Ibiki responded, shrugging his shoulders faintly.

Silence strained the atmosphere as they all nodded in agreement. The stillness stretched for what felt like an eternity until Genma exhaled a tensed sigh from his mouth.

"Guys, I hope you don't mind me saying this out loud, but…" he began in a melancholy tone, a wave of nostalgia knotting in his stomach. "I miss Anko."

Tears streamed down Kurenai's cheeks as Asuma encircled an arm around his lover for comfort. She buried her face in her hands to muffle her sobs as the son of the Third Hokage spoke for everyone else in the room. "Yeah, we all do."

ஜ ~ ஜ

They arrived at the next base by mid-afternoon and, of course, Anko was stuck in her bedroom all day with Sasuke guarding her. She laid lupine on the soft covers of the bed, very well rested after sleeping for two hours and was now bored out of her mind. Sasuke was mediating on the floor, his eyes closed and he breathing rhythmically.

"Have you decided what you will do after the child is born?" the Uchiha questioned, his eyelids fluttering open.

Anko raised a curious eyebrow, staring at the dark-haired youth in bewilderment. "I'm going raise to it."

Sasuke gave her an incredulous look. "Here?"

"Yes, here. I have nowhere else to go. And besides…" The snake kunoichi ran her hands up and down her abdomen affectionately, her expression softened. "Most women don't have the privilege to have a child with the person they loved when he's a S-class criminal. The lifestyle may not be very…endearing, but I don't want my child to grow up not knowing who his or her father is."

"Not too long ago, you would've wanted the opposite." Sasuke replied truthfully, clambering up from his seat on the floor and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Are you seriously okay with that? Rising a child who's father is extremely dangerous?"

Anko paused for a moment, thinking thoughtfully before she said, "I think so."

"So you don't mind how much Orochimaru's hands are tainted from his crimes?"

The question pierced her heart a little; the horrifying memories that she known and witnessed about the Snake Sannin came flooding back into her head. However, they didn't disturb her as much as they had before. She has come to terms with it after everything that had happened between her and Orochimaru since she started to live with him. Despite how wrong it still was to her, she didn't mind living alongside her lover and rising their child together.

Exhaling a deep breath, the violet-haired woman answered the Uchiha in a quite tone. "I don't mind if he's tainted, he can taint me too. I too have committed crimes and sins I cannot amend for. If his crimes made him fall from grace, then I want to descend to the bottom with him. That is my heartfelt wish."

Sasuke gazed at her for a few minutes after she stated her resolve; slightly impressed by the strength and character she displayed herself to be. It takes a lot of courage to do what she does, to put up with all of Orochimaru's twisted ambitions and sins.

"You're strong," he told her for the second time. His voice was cold, but underneath that layer of iciness was warmth that seeped inside the purple-haired woman's heart.

"Thanks." Anko smiled at him and after a minute of silence she threw in with slight humor, "And besides, it's going take me a lot of effort to make sure my son doesn't turn out to be an arrogant bastard like his father."

The Uchiha gave her raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "It's a boy?"

"No," she replied with a shake of her head. "I'm hoping it's a boy, but I don't mind having a girl."

There was a moment of silence before Sasuke piped up another question. "You realize that your child will have some characteristics from Orochimaru's current vessel, despite some of his cells that are actually in it, right?"

The snake kunoichi nodded, draping her hands over her stomach. "I know, Kabuto told me when he did a medical examination shortly after he found out that I was pregnant. I'm happy, in spite of that knowledge. No matter what, I'm still carrying Orochimaru's child inside of me."

"Was it always your desire to have his children?"

"Since I was a kid." Anko answered, blushing as she remember how many time she would fantasies as a child that she would one day grow up and be together with her sensei romantically. "I never thought it could be, though. There was a 26 years age gap between us, and he was my teacher. For us to be in that way…was impossible."

"Well, it's not so impossible anymore." Sasuke stated, standing up from the bed and started to walk towards the door. "I'm going back to my training. Later."

"Bye." The purple-haired woman watched him as he exited the room. She exhaled an exhausted sigh as she glanced down at her abdomen, smoothing her soft palms over it repeatedly. "It won't be long now."

ஜ ~ ஜ

"It won't be long now before Anko enters her first trimester of her pregnancy," Tsunade mumbled to herself in her empty office, her hazel irises reviewing over the snake kunoichi's medical results once more. She dropped the piece of paper of her desk and let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing her forehead as she a headache coming on. For weeks she had been contemplating on what do with Anko now that she'd learned that she was with child.

The purple-haired kunoichi was now a rouge shinobi, wanted dead by the Leaf Council for deserting the Leaf Village to be with her former sensei and now lover, Orochimaru. There was no doubt that if Anko was to be captured by the Leaf, the advisors still might want her dead, despite the fact she was pregnant. Tsunade couldn't let that happen. An innocent child was at stake here—_Orochimaru and Anko's child_.

Therefore, all of the Leaf ninja that knows about Anko's pregnancy was sworn to secrecy to keep it from going public. The Leaf Council must never know about it, for now. The Slug Princess's options were limited, and she was torn between from doing she think was best and what she should do as Hokage.

"Lady Tsunade!" a voice hooked her out of her thoughts. The blond woman jerked her head upwards and saw her trusty aide standing in front of her desk, Shizune's onyx eyes staring down at her worriedly. Being so engrossed in her contemplations, Tsunade didn't notice that her aide had entered the office and was trying to get her attention.

"Oh, Shizune. Sorry, what is it?"

"I said that the Leaf Council is getting impatient because you haven't decided to do anything about Anko since she escaped from the village. They demand to know what you're going to do about her," the younger medical ninja replied. "Lady Tsunade, what should I tell them? I know you don't want the advisors to find out about Anko being with child, but sooner or later the elders would want an explanation to your slow decisions."

Tsunade irked at the news. She hated being bossed around by those old geezers. They were too strict and harsh to the point that the blond woman thought they had hearts of stone. She had enough going worrying about Orochimaru and Anko and the Akatsuki to have those old louts pressuring her about her decisions on how to deal with the snake kunoichi. Her forehead wrinkled in agitation as barked out, "Tell those geezers that I'm working on it!"

Shizune flinched at her mistress's hostile tone. "Yes, milady!"

As her aide bowed and rushed out of the office, Tsunade leaned back in her chair and gazed down at Anko's medical report again. With the way things are now, it was obvious that she needs to come to a decision about what to with Anko and fast.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Three months as passed, and Anko's belly has bloated to a considerable size. Stroking her large stomach tenderly, the violet-haired woman glanced at Kabuto from where she laid on bed. It was time for another check up, something Anko had grown accustomed to since she became pregnant. With the her abdomen grown, she could no longer wear her mesh bodysuit, but instead loose-fitting garbs that didn't squeeze her midsection.

"Are you done yet?" she inquired impatiently, her stomach growling for food. Like any other pregnancies, Anko's came with the constant to eat. She is now, after all, eating for two.

"Do you some place you need to go?" the medical ninja's carried a playful tone in it, his optics never leaving the monitor he was looking at.

"If I told you, would you let me leave?" Anko countered in the same tune, knowing that were about to start another teasing battle between them.

"Depends. Have you gotten over your persecution complex yet?" Kabuto waited for a cheeky response from the fiery kunoichi, but it never came. He twisted his face from the monitor to look at the sadness that was etched on her countenance. Perhaps he said too much—although he was genuinely curious about her current state of mind right now. No matter how one looks at it, Anko will always have a part of her that will remain wary of him and his master. He only stated the truth, but the smart thing to do was to apologize to her. "My apologies, I didn't mean anything by it."

"Lair." She stuck her tongue at in a childish manner, but the emotion plastered on her face was all seriousness. "If you want to say something, then say it."

"I'll be overstepping my boundaries if I do." he replied, which caused Anko to sigh in exasperation. How many times did she told the Sannin's subordinate that he didn't need to treat with the same level of respect like he does with Orochimaru? Anko, even with her pregnancy, despised being weigh on like a princess. She was the type of person who likes to do things by herself with no assistance—mainly due to her upbringing of never having to depend on anyone since her parents died, and she wasn't going to start changing that anytime soon.

"All because I'm your master's lover doesn't mean you to act formal with me. Just say what you wanna say."

Kabuto studied her face for few moments before he answered with a mild shrug. "It's not that important, I'm just merely curious about you and where you stand us with us."

The snake kunoichi raised a inquisitive eyebrow. "Where I stand with you guys?"

"Yes. With the way you are now, I figured you by now you've changed your mind about being here with us. You can understand, I'm sure, that raising a child when you're a rouge ninja isn't exactly a good idea."

"I've realized that, so what's your point?"

"Aren't you concerned for your child?" the younger man asked, striding from the monitor to stand in front of the woman in the bed. "In spite of how we might treat you, you know that you shouldn't expect us to extend the same courtesy to others, especially those of the Leaf."

Anko scoffed at the obvious question, grasping the swell of her belly with her hands as she answered, "Well, yeah, of course I'm concerned. You, Orochimaru and Sasuke, you're all very dangerous and not very good people to have a child grow up around. But going to back to the Leaf isn't a good idea, and I have nowhere else to go. The only option I have now is to stay here, a place where no one can get me."

The silver-haired shinobi gave her a bittersweet half-smile. "My point exactly. You have to get over this persecution complex of yours, we are not your enemies—despite what happened between us in the past."

"Don't get me wrong, though, I trust you guys. I know you hurt me or the child." Anko added in quickly, putting a thoughtful finger to her chin. "I don't know why, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I like you, Kabuto. And Sasuke too. I know I shouldn't, though. I'm not _supposed_ to, but I do."

"You're a very interesting woman, Anko." Kabuto smirked, his intellectual brain processing her words. She never ceases to impressed him. "The people you once called your enemies are now your allies, and the people you once called your allies are your enemies. It's quite strange, don't you think? How can you be sure of what you said? You shouldn't assume things about people that said you hated, like me, for example."

"Because you wouldn't gain anything from killing me or my baby, that's why." Her response was quick and sure, and Kabuto almost couldn't believe her. "And besides, I'm sure Orochimaru will kill you if do anything to me. Like I said, I like you, Kabuto, so I'll trust you—even though you may be taking care of me only because Orochimaru told you to."

"I see..." The medic smirked mysteriously to himself, his countenance giving no hint of how her answer affected him. It hard to explain, but Kabuto was quite...amused by her. "Well then, you're free to go now."

"All right." Anko swung her legs over the edge of the bed and hopped off. "Later."

"One more thing, Anko." His voice reached her before she had to chance to exit the quarters. Without even pivoting her head to look at him, she waited for him to continue. "For the record, I'm not looking after you merely because I was ordered to. I like you, too."

"That's good to know." And with that said, the snake kunoichi left with a secret smile blooming on her lips.

ஜ ~ ஜ

"Really? Are you serious?" Kurenai couldn't believe her ears. One minute she having a snack with Asuma and Kakashi in the Jōnin Standby Station, and then Genma came rushing in with beads of sweat dripping from his face and relaying what Shizune told him about Lady Hokage's decision about Anko. "Lady Hokage is not allowing the ANBU to search for Anko?"

"Yeah, that's what Shizune told me." Genma grinned brightly, relief washing over all of them the terrific news. "With the Leaf Council getting all hot and bothered by Lady Tsunade's indecisiveness, she finally came up with the excuse that Orochimaru is not a current threat to Leaf and that should be focusing more on gathering intel about the Akatsuki. Of course, Lady Hokage had fought long and hard for them to accept her decision, but it paid off in the end when they realized that Anko might not even be with Orochimaru anymore."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Kakashi nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "After all, we never were able to identify the person who broke her out. We all just made a logical assumption that it was Orochimaru or one of his subordinates."

"Well, that's great. At least that means Anko will be safe until her kid is born." Asuma inserted, lighting up a cigarette that was dangling in his mouth. "But, let's not forget that once nine months has passed, Tsunade will have to send out squads to look for her."

"True, but let's just be glad for right now that Anko. I have to go and tell everyone else this, I'm sure they want to know. I'll catch you guys around." Genma waved at the three and dashed out of the room to tell the rest of their comrades.

Kurenai exhaled a giant sigh of happiness, her crimson hues darting to gaze at the clear blue sky. No matter how much she wanted to get angry at her best friend for leaving, the raven-haired couldn't bring herself to hate Anko. After so much thinking, Kurenai understood why Anko did the things she did. Although she regret not being able to see Anko or talk to her before she left, Kurenai knew in her heart that the violet-haired woman was still alive out there and hoped that they would one day meet again. _Anko...I should hate you for what you did, but when I thought about would I do if I was in your shoes, I understood a little bit of how agonizing all of these may have been for you. You're always been alone, never letting anyone get close to you or allowing yourself to be happy because of what happened between you and Orochimaru. You act tough all the time, but in the end, you're just an ordinary girl—a girl who loves blindly and impulsively, even if it consumes her. That's why, after your child is born and you're back with us—_

"We'll forgive her." Asuma finished. Snapping out of her inklings, the genjutsu specialist stared at her lover in surprised. How did he know that she was thinking about Anko? "Don't look all shock, Kurenai. We all feel the same way about Anko. Sure, she's a complete nutcase most of the time, but we can't be mad at her for what happened. She's our friend, and we don't leave our friends behind."

Kakashi nodded, a serene smile plastered under his masked face. "That's the way of our village. It's like with Naruto to Sasuke, we won't give up on bringing Anko to us. We all be together one day, you can sure of that."

A wave of joy warmed Kurenai's heart at friends' assurance, and as tears welled up in her eyes, she inclined her head in agreement. "Yes."

ஜ ~ ஜ

Three more months passed by, and Anko was become used of having Sasuke near her all the time, especially since it was getting more difficult to move now that her stomach was bigger with each month flying through her. Right now, she and her companion was enjoying the cool breeze and sunlight of the outdoors, relishing the smell of the crisp and sweet air as they walked around in a forest. Of course, with her bloated belly, she couldn't go any further than mile from the hideout, even with her regular bodyguard by her side.

"When my child is born, play with him or her a lot." Anko remarked as she took a seat on a tree stump.

Sasuke shot her a slightly annoyed look as he sat down on the ground next to her. "I'm not making any promises. I'm not good with kids, and I'm too busy."

"Right...with your revenge." She turned her face away from him, gazing to her left to observed the patch of purple tubular flowers planted in the dirt. "But if you still have time, maybe you cou—"

"I won't." he interjected rudely.

Anko glared at him, puffing her cheeks out in irritation. "You seem grumpier than usual. Is something wrong, what's with the attitude?"

The Uchiha shrugged his shoulders faintly. "Nothing."

"Don't pull that on me, Sasuke. Tell me what's wrong, I thought we were good friends."

_Friends, huh...? _The dark-haired youth shut his eyelids in contemplation at the word, not knowing to feel angry or disappointed. _She doesn't get it. That's the problem._

"Don't ignore me, Sasuke."

"..."

"Ugh, fine. Be that way, see if I care." the snake kunoichi huffed at his iciness towards her. What the heck was his problem, anyway? Why was he suddenly being so mean to her? Did something happened to him that Anko wasn't aware about, or was he just in one of his 'moods' again? "I don't get you sometimes, Sasuke. You're so complicated, I can't tell whether you're nice or not. You're always cold, but just when I finally thought I've gotten through, you shut yourself from me again."

"Anko, what am I to you?" he asked abruptly, his onyx orbs meeting hers. "Why do you care about so much about me?"

Confusion surfaced on her countenance at the weird query. "Why? Isn't it obvious? We're friends, Sasuke."

The Uchiha sighed dully. "You seem to put a lot of faith into me for some reason, but why?"

"That's because I like you, do I really need a reason for that?"

"Yes."

"Well, if I were to explain it to you, the reason why I have so much faith in you is because I trust. I see you as a kindred spirit..." she paused for a minute before she continue, her head leaning closer to his to the point that their noses touch. Holding a single finger to her lips, she flashed him a tender smile. "Don't tell anyone this, okay? Not even Orochimaru or Kabuto. The reason I like you so much is because I trust you more than anyone else here. You act like a total jerk most of the times, but I can still _some_ goodness in you."

"And that's why you like me?"

Anko nodded, beaming as she caressed her pregnant belly. "Yeah. So, I'll be counting on you to look after my child if something ever happens to me. Besides, my baby might need someone to play with."

"I'm still not making any promises." Sasuke repeated, his menacing mood lessening.

"That's okay, I understand."

A thin silence swarmed them as the Uchiha eyed the swell of Anko's stomach with curiosity. "Have you figured out the sex of the baby?"

The violet-haired woman shook her head, glad that he was speaking casually with her again. "No, I want it to be a surprise."

"Have you thought about names?"

"I tried, but nothing comes to mind."

"Hmm..."

"Well, let's head to the base." Anko rose from her seat with Sasuke's assistance. She started to walk ahead of him, but then swiveled around to face the young man with a playful smile. "And remember, don't tell anyone about what I said."

The black-haired youth grunted in reply. "Whatever."

Chucking to herself, Anko treaded back to the hideout with Sasuke following her. The wind wafted through them, the Uchiha's onyx hues piercing her back with a forlorn expression plastered on his countenance. As the months passed with the countdown to Anko's child being born, Sasuke couldn't stop thinking about the events that lead her to this point of her life. He felt that Anko could've done much better if she had never stumbled upon the Land of Rice Paddies on that fateful night of her return to Orochimaru. That way, at the very least, she could continue to live the life she was meant to live. A bright and happy one with her friends and comrades of the Leaf, not with S-class criminals that were constantly on the run. The life was a rouge ninja was a dangerous one, and it was not a life that most mothers would want for their child.

However, what really ticked off the Uchiha was that as he watched from Anko's abdomen grow with each day was that a good-hearted person like her was carrying the child of Orochimaru inside her womb. He may have deserted the Leaf to come to him for power willingly, but he wasn't stupid enough to actually trust the Snake Sannin. In his eyes, someone was corrupted and twisted as him doesn't deserve a woman like Anko by his side.

Although... Could this be his jealousy talking, and not his logic? Sasuke shook his head at the intruding thought and surge of angry emotions that welled up inside of him once more. These stupid feelings towards the fiery kunoichi needs to stop as soon as possible. Being around was clearly becoming more difficult as she nears her due date. _Anko is such a fool for what she's doing, but... I suppose I'm the bigger fool. My definition and hers of 'like' are not quite the same. Even so, I'll try to look after her._

With that decided, Sasuke sauntered after the violet-haired woman in a hasty gait.

ஜ ~ ஜ

Two months flew by the Snake Sannin quicker than he expected. Only one more month until the child is born, and then he'll have think of plan to care of it with Anko. An heir could be very interesting, but also very complicated in the process. Luckily, his dear ex-student understood that and volunteered to raise the child while he busy training his protégé. The last eight months has been nothing out of the ordinary from what he could tell, but as the pregnancy draws to an end, he became quite concerned for Anko.

The baby has been kicking more, becoming restless inside her womb and affecting her health. The contractions were coming by more often, to the point that the snake kunoichi would wake up in the middle of the night from pain. Although she brushed it off and refused to examine by Kabuto since she saw no need for it with only a month left, Orochimaru knew better than listen to what his stubborn lover had to say.

It was until one night when he was training Sasuke that his suspicions had been realized. In a urgent tone, Kabuto announced that the baby was arriving earlier than expected. Alarmed, the Sannin and his future vessel rushed to the medic's quarters to see a pained Anko laying in the bed with a sheet covering the lower half of her body. Coated from head to toe in sweat, her pretty face was distorted in anguish as the contractions struck her one after another.

"I heard her screaming for help when I went by to check on her in your chambers." Kabuto explained to lord and Sasuke, slipping on latex gloves. "The baby was developing at a much faster rate than I'd expected. She's in labor right now, and the contractions was worsening. The delivery might be rough, but very possible."

"Will she survive, though?" Orochimaru inquired, placing a soothing hand on his lover's sweaty forehead.

"Of course, but she might feel more pain than usual."

"She'll make it, then." Sasuke inserted calmly, trying hard not to tear his orbs away from the sight of her scrunched up face that was awash in agony. "She's strong."

Smirking to himself under the medical mask he strapped on over his face, the silver-haired ninja proceeded his explanation. "Yes, well, I might still need your help, Sasuke, for this to work. Just do everything I say. My lord, you may stay beside her."

The Uchiha grumbled in annoyance at being bossed around the smart-aleck four-eyes. "Fine, as long as I don't see anymore of her than I really have to."

"Excellent, let's begin."

ஜ ~ ஜ

Excruciating pain.

Anko felt like she was experiencing agony equaled to the time when she first received her Curse Mark, her bleary vision and senses making out only the sound of her own anguished cries. She could barely hear Kabuto ordering her to push to help deliver her baby into the world, and make out the faint outline of her ex-mentor and Sasuke from the line of her bleakly gaze. How much longer will this pain last? It felt like she has been wrapped in a cocoon of hurt for eternity.

"You're doing well, Anko. One more push, and you're done." Kabuto's voice ringed in her ears. Using the rest of her strength, she pushed as the last contraction twisted through her. Wiping the tears from her exhausted eyes, Anko lifted her head to see the silver-haired medic grabbing a scalpel from his tools and cut the umbilical cord and scooped her precious baby in his arms.

"Is it a girl or a boy?" she questioned, her voice sounding raspy from the fatigue.

"See for yourself." Knowing that she was eager to hold her child herself, Kabuto gently gave the tiny, pink, and squalling bundle to her.

"It's a girl!" Joy filled her to her core as her caramel-colored irises landed on her perfect newborn daughter. Never before has Anko felt this kind of joy and pride seeped inside until now, her wailing little girl curled up in her arms. She was very small since she was premature, her eyes matching her mother's, and her wet, miniature strands of hair were exactly like her father's. Anko tenderly placed a finger on her infant's rosebud mouth, tears pouring down her cheeks in happiness of this rejoicing moment.

"She looks a lot like you." The Snake Sannin told her with a slight smirk. Or was it a smile? Either way, it didn't matter to the snake kunoichi as her lover tenderly stroked their daughter's cheek.

"Despite the early arrival, your daughter is perfectly healthy. She's smaller than most babies, but that's all." Kabuto sighed in relief, his job finally done. Removing his medical garbs off, he spare at glance at the happy mother and baby before he pivoted to look at his monitor. "Your vitals seems fine, but I suggest you rest before you pass out from exhaustion, Anko."

"What are you going to name her?" Sasuke asked the violet-haired woman, his dull eyes staring at the bright face of the newborn human being.

Anko beamed, and although her face was pale and tried from labor, she still looked beautiful in her own way. Like she had predicted, as soon as she saw daughter's face, the chosen name for her baby clicked inside her mind. She thought about what she would call her child, the most suitable name for her to carry throughout her life. Looking down at the infant in her arms, she saw a reflection of herself in her child's hues that were so much like hers.

A name—a title and meaning to the proof of existence for her baby that was born from her and Orochimaru. Memories flashed through Anko's head, recalling all of the experiences and emotions that lead to this path to make her child being born. A child is a parent's legacy, and it must have meaning so that Anko would always remember whenever she admire her little bundle of joy.

"Anko," Orochimaru's voice hooked her back from reality to remind her where she still was. "Have you thought of one?"

"Her name will be Asagao." Yes, a perfect name for her child. A name that would represent how she came into this world from all that has happened to Anko—from her adventures and from the emotions she felt at those time. A name that symbolizes the intense and passionate feelings she held and spent with the only mad she had ever truly loved.

"What does that mean?" Sasuke inquired with a faint smirk gracing his lips. Anko closed her eyelids slowly when the question came, a radiant smile blossoming onto her face as she pressed her baby now-sleeping form close to her heart.

"Morning Glory."

ஜ ~ ஜ

**A/N: **Well, here you are, folks! The final chapter of _Morning Glory_! And like all sappy stories, this one came with a wonderful ending. Thank you, all of you guys, for sticking by me and reviewing _Morning Glory_. I couldn't have gotten through this without all of you. Every author still needs encouragement from their fans, even though they already wrote all the chapters beforehand. There is one person I would like to give special thanks to. This fan/friend of mine stuck by me more than anyone else had, so I want to thank that person right now for always reviewing and reading my stories—Ryunn-kun (Ryunn Kazan)! Thanks, Ryunn-kun, for being there for me! You, out of everyone, review all of my chapters and never gave up on me! You're a good friend to have, and I'm glad you loved _Morning Glory_ so much! I really am thankful for you and everyone for reading my story and reviewing it!

I would like to take this time to make an announcement about a few things. Some of you guys may not know this, but I took charge of the Odaxelagnia: The _Anko x Orochimaru_ Fanclub located at the Naruto Forums. It's a fanclub I have acquired leadership over for a few months now, but unfortunately, it is quite slow since the fanclub has been to near death before I took over. I wish that all of you OroAnko fans out there would come visit and join us at the forums, where you can read other amazing OroAnko fics and watch music videos. With _Morning Glory_ finally done, I'll be revamping the front page to add more fics and material on it. I guarantee that all of you will find it quite interesting. So, please come and look at the fanclub.

Next, I encourage everyone to come to the Narutopedia for all of your _Naruto _questions and research. I also work at the Narutopedia as a editor and I've become quite well-known and helpful. I created several pages there as well, such as the Dango Shop and Kabuto's Ninja Info Cards. These pages and the others I created are quite precious to me and the other users there. I want everyone to know much effort and time that me and my friends put into making and keeping the wiki fantastic! I'm so happy to be part of the wiki, and I've met wonderful people there I can call my friends. Even though they will probably never see this, I want to give a shout out to all of my favorite friends and comrades out there on the Narutopedia wiki for looking after me and helping me out—Jacce, ShounenSuki, Omnibender, Fmakck, Cerez365, Simant, Snapper2, LeafShinobi, Ilnarutoanime, and Deva 27! They're very nice to me, and Omni-senpai even called me 'Sheik-kōhai' once and that made feel so happy! I love all of my senpais, so if any of you are interested in helping us at the wiki, please feel free to—just as long as you don't cause any trouble. We wiki users take our work very seriously, so it's very important that you read the rules first before joining. We don't forgive very easily, so I'm telling you guys that right now

Also, I'm sure some of you must be keeping track of the English that are coming out on iTunes and DVDs, right? This is a subject that is always consider before any dubbing company, like Funimation or Viz, are to release more dubbed episodes of the anime shows they license. Despite I know most people prefer the Japanese over the English since they're more used to it, I know that other people like me out there love the English as well. Therefore, if fans want to watch the _Naruto_ episodes in English, then don't watch the episodes on any anime fansites. The only way for the company that are dubbing it to release more is to buy the DVDs. If not, they will cease dubbing _Naruto Shippūden_, which had finally reached the end of the **Three-Tails Arc**. That means that if the DVDs leading up to that arc sells well, they can dubbed the **Hunt For Itachi Arc**, which contains the episodes that Orochimaru is killed by Sasuke! I really want those episodes to come out, so it's very important for fans that want the same thing to buy the DVDs. If the show doesn't sell well, then it'll be cancel. Miss Erin Fitzgerald, who was the voice of Guren, told me so herself. Don't go to anime sites! Although intentionally, fansites violated the copyrights for the ones who owned the shows, so they also prevent people for trying to get the DVDs. If this continue, the rest of _Naruto Shippūden _episodes won't be released for English. So please, buy the DVDs when they come out.

Finally, I would like to tell all of you of my next project. That's right, I already started typing out my next story, but it's not a _Naruto_ one. My next fanfic is a anime that I hold very dear to my heart ever since it first aired on TV. Since then, I've been keeping track of it, Japanese and English, and continue to regard it as one of my most favorite shows out there! It's actually the second show I got interested in when I first started to watch anime when I was around eight or nine years old, the first being _Inuyasha_. It's an ongoing series and just as popular as _Naruto_! The next story I am doing is..._ONE PIECE_!

I'll be writing about the future King of the Pirates and his crew! Of course, the story will be romance and be about my two favorite characters in the show, Roronoa Zoro and Nico Robin! Just like with Orochimaru and Anko, this pairing is quite popular among fans and have a age gap among them. It's going to be my first _One Piece_ story ever! I already started to type the chapters, but I won't post it until I get most of the chapters done, like how I did _Morning Glory_. That'll mean you guys might have to wait a while until I post it. I'm going to work really hard on so that it can even surpass _Morning Glory_! Wish me luck and thank you so much for supporting me, everyone.


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